It:. 


i,-THE  MOLLIE  MAGUIRES  AND  DETECTIVES. 

a.— STRIKERS,  COMMUNISTS,  AND  DETECTIVES 

^.-CRIMINAL  REMINISCENCES  AND  DETECTIVES. 

4.-THE  MODEL  TOWN  AND  DETECTIVES. 

5.— THE  SPIRITUALISTS  AND  DETECTIVES. 

«.— THE  EXPRESSMEN  AND  DETECTIVES. 

7. -THE  SOMNAMBULIST  AND  DETECTIVES. 

8.— CLAUDE  MELNOTTE  AS  A  DETECTIVE. 

9.— THE  MISSISSIPPI  OUTLAWS  AND  DETECTIVES 
Kx-GVPSIES  AND  DETECTIVES. 
u.— BUCHOLZ  AND  DETECTIVES. 
n.— THE  RAILROAD  FORGER  AND  DETECTIVES. 
13.— BANK  ROBBERS  AND  DETECTIVES. 
14.— THE  BURGLAR'S  FATE  AND  DETECTIVES. 
15.— A  DOUBLE  LIFE  AND  DETECTIVES. 
16.— PROFESSIONAL  THIEVES  AND  DETECTIVES, 
17.— THIRTY  YEARS  A  DETECTIVE. 
I8.-THE  SPY  OF  THE  REBELLION. 


"  The  mental  characteristics  of  Allan  Pinkerton  were 
judgment  as  to  facts,  knowledge  of  men,  the  ability  to 
concentrate  his  faculties  on  one  subject,  and  the  persist 
ent  power  of  will.  A  mysterious  problem  of  crime, 
against  which  his  life  was  devoted,  presented  to  his 
thought,  was  solved  almost  in  an  instant,  and  seemingly 
by  his  intuitions.  With  half-closed  eyes  he  saw  the  scene 
in  which  the  wrong  was  done,  read  every  movement  of 
the  criminals,  and  reached  invariably  the  correct  con 
clusion  as  to  their  conduct  and  guilt. 

A  new  uniform  edition,  cloth  bound*  illustrated* 
Price  per  vol.  $1.00. 

Ou  W.  DWingham  Co.,  Publishers 

NEW  YORK. 


THE 


SOMNAMBULIST 

AND 

THE  DETECTIVE. 


THE   MURDERER 

AND 

THE  FORTUNE  TELLER. 


ALLAN   PINKERTON. 

AUTHOR  OF 

'EXPRESSMAN  AND  DETECTIVE,"    "SPIRITUALISTS  AND   DETECTIVES," 
"  PROFESSIONAL,   THIEVES    AND   DETECTIVES," 

"RAILROAD  FORGER  AND  DETECTIVES," 
"MOLLIE  MAGUIRES  AND  DETECTIVES,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 
G.   W.  Dillingham  Co.,  Publishers. 


COPYRIGHT, 
W.  B.  KEEN,  COOKE  &  CO., 

1875- 

COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY 
JOAN    CHALMERS. 


The  Somnambulist. 


PREFACE 


IN  presenting  to  the  public  my  third  volume  of 
Detective  Stories,  I  desire  to  again  call  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  stories  herein  contained,  as  in  the  case 
of  their  predecessors  in  the  series,  are  literally  true. 
The  incidents  in  these  cases  have  all  actually  occurred  as 
related,  and  there  are  now  living  many  witnesses  to 
corroborate  my  statements. 

Maroney,  the  expressman,  is  living  in  Georgia,  having 
been  released  during  the  war.  Mrs.  Maroney  is  also 
alive.  Any  one  desiring  to  convince  himself  of  the  abso 
lute  truthfulness  of  this  narrative  can  do  so  by  examining 
the  court  records  in  Montgomery,  Ala.,  where  Maroney 
was  convicted. 

The  facts  stated  in  the  second  volume  are  well  known 
to  many  residents  of  Chicago.  Young  Bright  was  in  the 
best  society  during  his  stay  at  the  Clifton  House,  and 
many  of  his  friends  will  remember  him.  His  father  is 
now  largely  interested  in  business  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
and  St.  Louis.  The  events  connected  with  the  abduc 
tion  of  "  The  Two  Sisters,"  will  be  readily  recalled  by 
W.  L.  Church,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  and  others.  The  story 
of  "  Alexander  Gay,"  the  Frenchman,  will  be  found  in 


2047318 


6  PREFA  CE. 

the  criminal  records  of  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  sentenced 
for  forgery. 

So  with  the  stories  in  this  volume.  The  characters  in 
"The  Detective  and  the  Somnambulist,"  will  be  easily 
recognized  by  many  readers  in  the  South.  As  the  family 
of  Drysdale  are  still  living  and  holding  a  highly  respecta 
ble  place  in  society,  the  locality  is  not  correctly  given,  and 
fictitious  names  are  used  throughout. 

By  reason  of  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  circumstances, 
the  facts  narrated  in  "  The  Murderer  and  the  Fortune- 
Teller,"  are  known  only  to  a  small  circle,  but  they  can 
readily  be  substantiated.  Captain  Sumner  was  never 
informed  of  the  means  employed  to  influence  his  sister, 
and  his  first  knowledge  of  them  will  be  obtained  in 
reading  this  book ;  but  he  will  remember  his  own  visit  to 
"Lucille,"  and  will  undoubtedly  see  that  the  affair  was 
managed  exactly  as  I  have  stated. 

In  reading  these  stories,  the  reader  will  probably  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  detection  of  criminals  is  a  very 
simple  matter,  and  that  any  one  with  a  moderate  amount 
of  intelligence  could  have  done  just  as  well.  To  a 
certain  extent  this  is  true,  but  not  wholly.  The  plan 
once  adopted,  it  is  not  difficult  to  put  it  in  execution ; 
but  experience,  judgment  and  tact  are  required  to  form  a 
plan  which  will  bring  out  the  real  facts  connected  with 
the  crime.  This  done,  the  capture  of  the  criminal  is  only 
a  question  of  time. 

Legitimate,  honest  detective  business  is  yet  in  its 
infancy,  but  the  trade,  as  at  present  generally  conducted, 
approaches  the  dignity  of  an  art — a  black  art,  unfortu 
nately,  the  object  being  accurately  to  distinguish  the  per- 


PREFACE.  'I 

centage  of  plunder  which  will  satisfy  the  criminals  and 
the  real  owners,  the  remainder  being  divided  among  the 
so-called  detectives. 

In  point  of  fact,  these  fellows  are  worse  than  the 
acknowledged  criminals,  since  they  rob  under  the  guise 
of  honest  men,  and  run  little  or  no  risk,  while  the  actual 
thieves  take  their  lives  in  their  hands.  It  may  safely  be 
said  that  the  average  detective  would  rather  be  in  league 
with  the  criminals  of  this  city  than  opposed  to  them,  and 
the  great  majority  are  so  leagued ;  and  until  such  a  state 
of  affairs  is  broken  up,  the  criminals  who  have  money 
will  surely  escape  punishment. 

ALLAN  PINKERTON. 


THE    DETECTIVE 

AND  TMB 

SOMNAMBULIST. 


CHAPThR  I 

ABOUT  nineteen  years  ago,  I  was  enjoying  a  short 
relaxation  from  the  usual  press  of  business  in  Ciu- 
cago.  I  had  only  one  or  two  really  important  cases  on 
hand,  and  1  was  therefore  preparing  to  take  a  much  needed 
rest.  At  this  time,  my  business  was  not  nearly  so  exten 
sive  as  it  has  since  become,  nor  was  my  Agency  so  well 
known  as  it  now  is ;  hence,  I  was  somewhat  surprised  and 
gratified  to  receive  a  letter  from  Atkinson,  Mississippi, 
asking  me  to  go  to  that  town  at  once,  to  investigate  a 
great  crime  recently  perpetrated  there.  I  had  intended 
to  visit  my  former  home  in  Dundee,  for  a  week  or  ten 
days,  but,  on  receiving  this  letter,  1  postponed  my  vaca 
tion  indefinitely. 

The  letter  was  written  by  Mr.  Thomas  McGregor, 
cashier  of  the  City  Bank,  of  Atkinson,  and  my  services 
were  called  for  by  all  the  officers  of  the  bank..  Th«  cur- 


10  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

cumstances  of  the  case  were,  in  brief,  that  the  paying, 
teller  had  been  brutally  murdered  in  the  bank  about  three 
or  four  months  before,  and  over  one  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars  had  been  stolen.  Mr.  McGregor  said 
that  no  expense  should  be  spared  to  detect  the  criminals, 
even  though  the  money  was  not  recovered ;  that  would  be 
an  important  consideration,  of  course,  but  the  first  object 
sought  was  the  capture  of  the  murderers  of  poor  George 
Gordon,  the  late  paying-teller. 

Having  already  arranged  my  business  for  a  brief  ab 
sence,  I  was  all  ready  for  the  journey,  and  by  the  next 
train,  1  was  speeding  southward,  toward  Atkinson. 

1  arrived  there  early  in  the  morning,  of  one  of  the 
most  delightful  days  of  early  spring.  I  had  exchanged 
the  brown  fields  and  bare  trees  of  the  raw  and  frosty 
North,  for  the  balmy  airs,  blooming  flowers,  and  waving 
foliage  of  the  sunny  South.  The  contrast  was  most 
agreeable  to  me  in  my  then  tired  and  overworked  condi 
tion,  and  I  felt  that  a  few  days  in  that  climate  would  re 
store  my  strength  more  effectually  than  a  stay  of  several 
weeks  in  the  changeable  and  inclement  weather  of  northern 
Illinois.  For  sanitary,  as  well  as  business  reasons,  there 
fore,  I  had  no  occasion  to  regret  my  Southern  trip. 

My  assumed  character  was  that  of  a  cotton  speculator, 
and  I  was  thus  able  to  make  many  inquiries  relative  to 
the  town  and  its  inhabitants,  without  exciting  suspicion. 
Of  course,  I  should  have  considerable  business  at  the 
bank,  and  thus,  I  could  have  irequent  conferences  with 
the  bank  officials,  without  betraying  my  real  object  in 
visiting  them.  I  sent  a  note  to  Mr.  McGregor,  on  my 
•nival,  simply  announcing  myseh  under  a  fictitious  uamt, 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULISM.          11 

and  I  soon  received  a  reply  requesting  me  to  come  to  the 
bank  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening.  I  then  spent  the  day 
in  walking  about  the  town  and  gathering  a  general  idea 
of  the  surroundings  of  the  place. 

Atkinson  was  then  a  town  of  medium  size,  pleasantly 
situated  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State.  The 
surrounding  country  was  well  watered  and  wooded,  con 
sisting  of  alternate  arable  land  and  rolling  hills.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  town  were  divided  into  two  general 
classes :  the  shop-keepers,  mechanics,  and  laborers,  formed 
the  bulk  of  the  population ;  while  the  capitalists,  planters 
and  professtonal  men  were  the  most  influential.  Most  of 
these  latter  owned  country  residences,  or  plantations  out 
side  of  the  town,  though  they  kept  up  their  town  estab 
lishments  also.  A  small  water-course,  called  Rocky  Creek, 
skirted  one  side  01  the  place,  and  many  01  the  most  hand 
some  houses,  were  situated  on,  or  near  this  beautiful 
rivulet.  The  whole  appearance  of  Atkinson,  and  the  sur 
rounding  country,  indicated  a  thrifty,  well-to-do  popula 
tion. 

Having  roamed  about  to  my  satisfaction,  I  spent  the 
latter  part  of  the  afternoon  at  the  hotel,  where  I  met  a 
number  of  the  professional  men  of  the  county.  I  found 
that  the  hotel  was  occupied  by  many  of  the  best  families 
during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  I  soon  formed  the  ac 
quaintance  of  several  of  the  gentlemen.  They  greeted 
me  with  characteristic  Southern  hospitality,  and  I  was 
pleased  to  see  that  my  roie  as  a  Scotch  speculator  was 
quite  an  easy  one  to  play ;  at  least,  no  one  ever  appeared 
to  suspect  my  real  object  in  visiting  Atkinson. 

At  the  appointed  hour  I  went  to  the  bank,  and  was  met 


1*  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORES. 

outside  by  Mr.  McGregor,  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced 
during  the  day.     He  took  me  in  through  the  private  en 
trance,  and  we  were  joined  in  a  few  minutes  by  Alexandei 
Bannatine,  president,  and  Peter  A.  Gordon,  vice-president^ 
of  the  bank.     Mr.  Bannatine  was  about  fifty  years  of  age, 
but  he  looked  much  older,  owing  to  his  continuous  and 
exhausting  labors  as  a  lawyer,  during  the  early  part  of  his 
life.     Having  made  a  large  fortune  by  successful  practice 
and  judicious  investments,  he  had  retired  from  the  active 
pursuit  of   his  profession,  and  had  joined   several   old 
friends  in  the  banking  business.     Mr.  Gordon  was,  also, 
about  fifty  years  old.    He  had  become  wealthy  by  inher 
itance,  and  had  increased  his  fortune  by  twenty  years  of 
careful  attention  to  business.     He  was  unmarried,  and 
George  Gordon,  the  murdered  bank -teller,  had  stood  in 
the  relation  of  a  son  to  his  uncle ;  hence,  there  was  an 
additional  reason  for  the  capture  and  conviction  of  the 
murderers.     The  recovery  of  the  large  sum  of  money 
stolen,  would,  alone,'  have  been  an  important  consider 
ation,  but  Mr.  Gordon  was  willing  to  spend  a  very  ex 
travagant  amount  in  the  detection  of  the  criminals,  even 
though  the  money  might  never  be  discovered. 

We  seated  ourselves  at  a  table  in  the  cashier's  room,  and 
I  prepared  to  take  notes  of  all  the  facts  then  known  by 
the  gentlemen  present. 

"Now,  Mr.  Bannatine,"  I  said,  "please  tell  me  every 
thing  connected  with  the  case,  which  may  be  of  service 
to  me." 

"Well,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  have  not  been  connected  with 
the  bank  so  long,  or  so  closely  as  Mr.  McGregor,"  said 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.          li 

Mr.  Bannatine,  *'  and  perhaps  he  had  better  give  a  short 
sketch  of  young  Gordon's  connection  with  the  bank  first." 
"  George  Gordon  was  taken  into  our  employ  about  five 
years  ago,"  said  Mr.  McGregor.  "  He  had  previously 
acted  as  our  agent  in  one  of  the  interior  towns,  and  when 
he  became  of  age  he  was  offered  the  place  of  paying-teller. 
Since  then  his  obliging  disposition,  courteous  manners, 
and  faithful  performance  of  duty,  have  endeared  him  to 
all  his  associates,  and  have  given  him  the  confidence  of 
all  persons  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  charac 
ter  was  spotless,  and  his  devotion  to  duty  was  superior  to 
all  allurements  ;  he  would  never  sacrifice  one  moment  to 
pleasure  which  should  have  been  given  to  business." 

"  Had  he  any  associates  among  the  fast  men  and  women 
of  the  place  ?"  I  asked. 

"  No,  sir,  not  one,"  was  the  prompt  reply ;  "  we  have 
not  been  able  to  learn  that  he  had  any  acquaintances 
even,  among  that  class." 

"Well,  please  proceed  to  state  all  the  circumstances 
connected  with  the  murder,"  I  suggested. 

"I  was  not  at  home  at  the  time,"  said  Mr.  McGregor, 
"  but  I  can  give  you  many  facts,  and  Mr.  Gordon  can  add 
thereto.  George  was  in  the  habit  of  remaining  in  the 
bank  after  office  hours  for  the  purpose  of  writing  up  his 
books,  as  he  acted  as  book-keeper  also.  During  the  very 
busy  seasons,  he  would  sometimes  be  kept  at  work  until 
long  after  dark,  though  this  was  unusual.  Occasionally 
customers  would  come  to  the  bank  after  the  regular  hours, 
and  George  would  accommodate  them,  or  I  would  do  so, 
when  I  was  present.  We  were  both  very  careful  about 
admitting  outsiders  after  the  bank  had  closed,  and  we 


14  PINKERTQN'S  DETECTIVE  STORI&S. 

never  allowed  any  one  to  enter  except  well-known  busi 
ness  men  and  old  customers  of  the  bank.  We  had  large 
sums  on  hand  at  times,  and  George  frequently  said  that 
we  could  not  exercise  too  much  care  in  managing  our 
business.  I  mention  this  to  show  that  he  was  not  care 
less  in  his  habits,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  always 
took  the  greatest  precautions  against  fraud  or  violence." 
"  Were  there  any  customers  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
coming  in  late  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  there  were  several,"  replied  Mr.  McGregor ;  "  for 
instance,  Mr.  Flanders,  the  ieweler,  used  to  bring  over  his 
more  valuable  jewelry  every  afternoon  to  put  into  our 
vault ;  he  would  put  it  into  a  small  box  and  leave  it  here 
about  five  o'clock.  Then,  our  county  clerk,  Mr.  Drys- 
dale,  used  to  stop  frequently  to  make  deposits  in  cases 
where  other  parties  had  paid  money  to  him  after  banking 
hours.  He  was  very  intimate  with  George,  and  he  used 
to  stop  to  see  him  sometimes  and  walk  out  with  him  after 
his  work  was  finished.  Walter  Patterson,  also,  was  one 
of  George's  particular  friends,  and  he  has  often  stayed 
with  George  until  nine  or  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Besides  these  there  were  several  of  our  leading  planters 
who  would  come  in  as  Late  as  ?ight  o'clock  to  deposit 
funds,  or  to  obtain  cash  for  use  sarly  the  next  day." 

"Did  young  Gordon  have  the  keys  to  the  vault ?"  I 
asked. 

"Oh!  yes,"  replied  Mr.  McGregor;  "I  was  often 
called  away  on  business  for  several  days,  and  he  used  to 
act  as  cashier  in  my  absence.  He  was  in  the  habit  of 
carrying  the  keys  with  him  at  all  times ;  but  his  uncle 
advised  him  not  to  do  so,  as  they  might  be  taken  from 


THE  DETECTIVE  AMU  SOMAfAAtBDXJbT,        Ii 

him  by  a  gang  of  desnerate  characters,  and  the  bank 
robbed.  He  had,  therefore,  given  up  the  practice  of 
taking  the  keys  home  with  him  after  night-fall.  Just 
about  the  time  of  the  murder,  we  had  one  of  the  busiest 
seasons  ever  known ;  the  cotton  crop  had  been  enormous, 
and  sales  had  been  very  rapid,  so  that  our  deposits  were 
unusually  large.  One  morning  I  found  that  1  must  go  to 
Greenville  for  several  days,  on  business  of  erreat  impor 
tance.  Before  going,  I  gave  George  full  instructions 
upon  all  matters  which  might  need  attention  during  my 
absence ;  yet  I  felt,  while  on  my  way  to  the  depot,  that 
there  was  something  which  I  nad  forgotten.  I  could  not 
define  what  it  was,  but  I  hurried  back  to  ask  whether  he 
could  think  of  any  thing  further  upon  which  he  might 
wish  my  advice.  I  found  him  chatting  with  hi?  friend, 
Mr.  Drysdale.  Calling  him  to  one  side,  I  said : 

" '  George,  is  there  anything  more  upon  which  I  can 
advise  you  ? ' 

"'No,  I  guess  not,'  he  replied;  'you  will  oe  back  so 
soon  that  if  there  should  anything  new  turn  up.  it  can 
wait  until  you  return.' 

"  'Well,  be  very  careful,'  I  continued,  'and  don't  allow 
any  one  to  come  in  here  after  dark.  It  may  be  an 
unnecessary  precaution,  but  I  should  feel  easier  if  I  knew 
no  one  was  admitted  to  the  bank  during  my  absence.' 

"  'Very  well,'  he  reolied,  '  1  shall  allow  only  one  or  two 
of  my  personal  friends  to  come  in.  There  will  be  no 
harm  in  admitting  them,  for  they  will  be  an  additional 
protection  in  case  of  any  attempt  on  the  bank.' 

"  I  could  offer  no  objection,  and  so  we  parted.  I  was 
gone  about  a  week,  when,  having  settled  mv  business  in 


16  PtflthERTON'S  DEJEC11VE  S7  OKIES. 


Greenville,  I  returned  here.  The  first  news  I  received 
was,  that  George  Gordon  had  been  found  murdered  in  the 
bank  that  morning,  the  crime  having  been  committed  the 
night  before.  I  will  now  let  Mr.  Peter  Gordon,  George's 
uncle,  tell  the  circumstances,  so  far  as  he  knows  them." 

Mr.  McGregor  was  a  careful,  methodical  man,  about 
sixty  years  of  age.  He  always  spoke  directly  to  the  point, 
and  in  his  story,  he  had  evidently  made  no  attempt  to 
draw  conclusions,  or  to  bias  my  judgment  in  any  way. 
Nevertheless,  he  showed  that  he  was  really  affected  by 
young  Gordon's  murder,  and  I  saw  that  I  should  get  more 
really  valuable  assistance  from  him,  than  from  both  of  the 
other  two.  Mr.  Gordon  was  rrreatly  excited,  and  he  could 
hardly  speak  at  times,  as  he  thought  of  his  murdered 
nephew.  His  story  was  told  slowly  and  painfully,  as  if 
the  details  were  almost  too  much  for  him.  Still,  he  felt 
that  uothing  ought  to  be  neglected  which  would  assist 
me,  and  so  he  nerved  himsel  to  tell  every  little  incident 
of  the  dreadful  crime. 

"I  remember  the  day  of  the  murder  very  distinctly, 
Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  said.  "Mr.  Bannatine  was  obliged  to 
visit  his  plantation  that  morning,  and  Mr.  McGregor 
being  away,  as  he  has  already  told  you,  I  spent  most  of 
the  day  at  the  bank  with  George.  He  was  perfectly  com 
petent  to  manage  all  the  business  himself,  Mr.  Pinkerton 
for  he  was  a  very  smart  and  trustworthy  young  man,  the 
very  image  of  my  dear  brother,  who  was  drowned  twenty 
years  ago,  leaving  me  to  bring  up  George  like  my  own 
son  ;  but,  as  I  was  saying,  I  kept  George  company  in  the 
bank  that  day.  more  as  a  measure  of  safety,  than  because 
be  needed  me.  Well  we  received  a  large  amount  of 


TJf£  DETEC7IVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        17 

money  that  day  in  bank  notes  and  specie,  and  I  helped 
George  put  the  money  into  the  vault.  When  the  bank 
closed,  George  said  that  he  should  work  until  five  o'clock 
and  then  go  home  to  dinner.  I  was  anxious  to  go  to  my 
store,  as  business  had  been  very  heavy  that  day,  and  I 
had  had  no  opportunity  to  attend  to  my  own  affairs ;  I 
therefore  left  the  bank  at  four  o'clock.  George  and  I 
boarded  at  the  hotel,  and  at  dinner  time,  lie  came  late,  so 
that  I  finished  before  he  did.  About  seven  o'clock, 
George  came  down  to  the  store,  where  I  had  gone  after 
dinner.  He  sat  a  little  while  and  smoked  a  cigar  with 
me,  and  then  said  that  he  must  return  to  the  bank,  as  he 
had  a  great  deal  of  work  to  finish  up  on  the  books ;  he 
told  me,  also,  not  to  sit  up  for  him,  as  it  might  be  quite 
late  before  he  came  home." 

"  Were  there  any  other  persons  present  when  he  said 
this,  Mr.  Gordon?"  I  asked. 

"Yes;  there  was  a  shoemaker,  named  Stolz,  whom 
George  had  iust  caid  for  a  pair  of  boots.  Mr.  Flanders, 
the  jeweler,  was  there  also,  and  he  had  his  box  of  jewelry 
for  George  to  lock  up  in  the  safe.  There  had  been  so 
many  customers  in  his  store  that  afternoon  that  he  had 
not  been  able  to  take  the  box  over  before.  There  were 
several  other  persons  present,  I  recollect  now  that  you 
ask  me  about  it,  but  I  had  not  thought  of  the  matter  be 
fore,  and  I  cannot  recall  their  names." 

"  Well,  I  guess  we  can  find  out,"  I  replied ;  "  please  go 
on.  By  the  way,  one  question :  had  George  drank  any. 
thing  at  all  during  the  day  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  nothing  whatever.  George  used  to  smoke  a 
treat  deal,  but  he  never  drank  at  a  bar  in  his  life ;  all  his 


1*  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  S7OR1ES. 

young  friends  will  tell  you  the  same.  He  sometimes 
drank  wine  at  meals  at  his  own  or  a  friend's  table,  but  he 
never  drank  at  any  other  place.  He  left  my  store  about 
half- past  seven  o'clock,  and  Flanders  went  with  him  to 
leave  his  jewelry.  Flanders'  store  is  near  mine,  and  he 
soon  came  back  and  chatted  with  me  a  short  time.  He 
has  since  told  me  that  he  did  not  enter  the  bank,  but  that 
he  simply  handed  the  case  of  jewelry  to  George  on  the 
steps  of  the  private  entrance,  and  George  said  to  him: 
*  I  won't  ask  you  to  come  in,  Flanders,  for  I  have  too 
much  work  to  attend  to,  and  I  can't  entertain  you.'  These 
are  the  last  words  that  George  is  known  to  have  spoken." 

Here  Mr.  Gordon's  agitation  was  so  great  that  he  could 
not  speak  for  several  minutes,  but  at  length,  he  continued : 

"  I  went  to  bed  about  ten  o'clock  that  evening,  and 
came  down  late  to  breakfast  next  morning.  I  did  not  see 
George  anywhere  around  the  hotel,  but  I  thought  nothing 
of  that,  as  I  supposed  that  he  had  gone  to  the  bank. 
After  breakfast,  I  got  shaved,  smoked  a  cigar,  and  then 
went  to  my  store.  In  a  few  minutes,  a  man  named  Rollo, 
who  has  an  account  at  the  bank,  came  in  and  said : 

"'Mr.  Gordon,  what  is  the  matter  at  the  bank  this 
morning?  It  is  now  after  ten  o'clock,  and  everything  is 
still  shut  up.' 

" '  What ! '  I  exclaimed,  '  the  bank  not  opened  yet !  My 
nephew  must  be  sick,  though  he  was  quite  well  yesterday 
evening.  I  will  go  to  the  bank  with  you  at  once,  Mr. 
Rollo.' 

!<  One  of  my  clerks  accompanied  us,  and  on  arriving  at 
the  bank,  we  found  a  cabinet-maker  named  Breed,  trying 
to  gfgt  in.  I  went  and  pounded  on  the  front  door  several 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         It 

times,  but  no  one  came.  I  then  went  to  the  private 
entrance  and  gave  the  signal  by  rapping,  to  let  those 
inside  know  that  one  of  the  bank  officers  was  at  the  door. 
We  had  a  private  signal  known  only  to  the  officers,  so 
that  I  was  sure  there  must  be  something  wrong  when  I 
found  it  unanswered.  I  had  a  dreadful  feeling  in  my 
heart  that  something  horrible  had  happened,  and  I  was 
about  to  hurry  away  to  the  hotel,  to  see  if  George  was 
there,  when  I  casually  let  my  hand  fall  upon  the  knob 
and  turned  it ;  to  my  surprise,  the  door  yielded. 

"By  this  time,  quite  a  crowd  had  gathered  outside, 
attracted  by  the  unusual  spectacle  of  the  closed  bank, 
and  the  knocking  at  the  doors.  I  therefore  left  Mr.  Rollo 
and  Mr.  Breed  to  keep  the  crowd  from  entering  the  side 
entrance,  while  my  clerk  and  I  threw  open  the  heavy 
shutters  of  this  room  where  we  are  now  sitting.  We  then 
entered  the  main  bank  through  yonder  door,  and  while  I 
went  to  open  the  outside  blinds,  which  excluded  every 
particle  of  light,  my  clerk  walked  down  behind  the  bank 
counter.  He  suddenly  stumbled  over  something  and  fell, 
and  as  he  got  up,  he  said  that  the  floor  was  wet.  At  this 
instant,  I  flung  open  one  of  the  shutters,  and  simulta 
neously  I  heard  a  cry  of  horror  from  my  clerk.  Running 
to  the  counter,  I  looked  over  and  saw  a  terrible  sight. 
My  poor  boy — " 

Again  Mr  Gordon's  feelings  overcame  him,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  he  could  go  on.  Finally  he  was  able 
to  resume  his  story,  though  he  was  frequently  obliged  to 
pause  to  wipe  away  his  tears. 

"My  nephew's  body  was  lying  midway  Detween  his 
desk  and  the  vault  door ;  he  had  evidently  been  standing 


10  P2NKh.KTQN'i>  D&TECT1V&  STQR1MS. 

at  his  desk  when  he  was  struck,  as  was  shown  by  the 
direction  in  which  the  blood  had  spirted.  He  had  been 
murdered  by  three  blows  on  the  back  of  the  head,  the 
instrument  used  being  a  heavy  canceling  hammer,  which 
we  found  close  by,  clotted  with  blood  and  hair.  The  first 
blow  had  been  dealt  just  back  ol  the  left  ear  while  George 
was  standing  at  his  desk ;  he  had  then  staggered  back 
ward  two  or  three  steps  before  falling,  and  the  second 
and  third  blows  had  been  struck  as  he  lay  on  the  floor. 
Although  it  was  evident  that  the  first  blow  alone  wa» 
sufficient  to  cause  deatn,  the  murderer  had  been  anxious 
to  complete  his  work  beyond  any  possibility  of  failure. 

"  The  scene  was  most  ghastly  ;  George's  body  lay  in  a 
pool  ot  blood,  while  the  desks,  chairs,  table  and  wall, 
were  spattered  with  large  drops  which  had  spirted  out  as 
the  blows  were  struck.  I  shall  never  forget  that  terrible 
morning,  and  sometimes  1  awake  with  a  horrible  choking 
sensation,  ana  tnmk  that  I  have  just  renewed  the  sicken 
ing  experience  of  that  day. 

'  Well,  JL  immediately  suspected  that  the  murder  had 
been  committed  to  enaole  the  murderer  to  rob  the  bank. 
i  knew  that  George  nad  no  enemies  who  would  seek  his 
life,  and  there  could  be  no  other  object  in  killing  him 
inside  the  bank.  The  outer  door  oi  the  vault  stood 
slightly  ajar,  and  a?  soon  as  I  had  satisfied  myself  that 
my  nephew  was  dead — as  indeed  was  evident,  the  body 
being  quite  cola — 1  sent  my  clerk  to.  call  Mr.  Rollo  and 
Mr.  Breed  into  the  bank,  while  he  remained  at  the  door. 
1  told  him  to  sead  any  person  whom  he  might  see  outside 
toi  tile  snerih  and  the  coroner.  As  I  was  saying,  the 
vault  ioor  stood  siiehtiy  open,  and  when  the  other  gen- 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST          it 

tleman  joined  me  I  called  their  attention  to  the  position 
of  everything  before  I  entered  the  vault.  I  found  the 
keys  in  the  lock  of  the  inner  door,  and  on  opening  the 
latter  we  saw  that  everything  inside  was  in  great  con 
fusion.  Without  making  any  examination,  I  closed  and 
locked  both  doors,  and  sealed  the  key-holes  with  tape 
and  sealing-wax.  I  determined  to  leave  everything  just 
as  it  was  until  the  inquest  should  be  held.  The  sheriff 
and  coroner  soon  arrived,  and  a  jury  was  impaneled 
immediately,  as,  by  that  time,  the  news  had  spread  all 
over  town,  and  the  bank  was  surrounded  by  nearly  all 
the  best  men  in  the  place.  In  summoning  the  jury,  the 
coroner  put  down  for  foreman  the  name  of  Mr.  Drysdale, 
George's  most  intimate  friend,  but  it  was  found  that  he 
was  not  in  the  crowd  outside,  and  when  they  sent  for  him 
he  begged  so  hard  to  be  excused  that  he  was  let  off. 

"  The  inquest  was  held  in  this  room,  but  nothing  was 
moved  from  the  bank  except  the  body  and  the  cancelling 
hammer.  The  jury  elicited  nothing  more  than  what  I 
have  told  you,  and  they  therefore  adjourned  to  await  the 
examination  of  our  vault  when  Mr.  McGregor  and  Mr. 
Bannatine  returned,  in  the  hope  that  some  clue  might  be 
found  therein.  I  forgot  to  mention  that  we  found  in 
George's  hand  a  bill  of  the  Planter's  Bank  of  Georgia, 
of  the  denomination  of  one  hundred  dollars.  It  was 
clutched  tightly,  and  he  had  fallen  on  that  side,  so  that 
the  murderer  had  not  noticed  it.  Here  it  is,  partly 
stained  with  blood,"  and  Mr.  Gordon  handed  me  a  bank 
note.  He  then  continued : 

"A  messenger  had  been  dispatched  to  inform  Mr.  Ban 
natine  of  the  disaster,  and  he  arrived  in  town  almost 


»  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

simultaneously  with  Mr.  McGregor,  who  was  already  on 
his  way  home  when  the  murder  occurred.  As  Mr.  Ban- 
natine  is  well  acquainted  with  all  the  subsequent  events, 
I  prefer  that  he  should  give  the  account  of  our  action 
since  that  time." 

It  was  clearly  very  painful  to  Mr.  Gordon  to  talk  upon 
the  subject  of  his  nephew's  murder,  and  Mr.  Bannatine 
willingly  took  up  the  thread  of  the  story.  He  had  prac 
ticed  at  the  bar  so  long  that  his  style  resembled  that  of  a 
witness  under  examination,  and  he  was  always  careful  to 
give  his  authority  whenever  he  stated  facts  outside  of  his 
own  observation.  His  testimony  was  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  me,  and  I  took  very  full  notes  as  he  went 
along. 


CHAPTER    II. 

{RECEIVED  the  intelligence  of  George  Gordon'i 
murder  about  noon,  by  a  messenger  from  Mr.  Gordon. 
(  immediately  rode  into  town  and  went  to  the  bank, 
where  I  arrived  about  two  o'clock.  The  inquest  was  not 
completed,  but  at  the  sheriff's  suggestion  the  jury 
adjourned  until  the  next  morning.  The  cause  of  death, 
according  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Hartman  and  Dr.  Lari- 
more,  was  concussion  of  the  brain,  produced  by  three 
separate  blows  on  the  back  of  the  head ;  the  blows  might 
have  been  dealt  with  the  canceling  hammer,  which,  Mr. 
Gordon  said,  had  been  found  close  by  the  body.  The 
latter  was  removed  to  the  hotel  preparatory  to  the 
funeral. 

"  Mr.  Gordon,  Mr.  McGregor,  and  myself  then  pro 
ceeded  to  open  the  bank,  taking  the  sheriff  to  assist  us  in 
searching  for  clues  to  aid  in  the  detection  of  the  crimi 
nals.  We  first  opened  all  the  shutters  to  give  as  much 
light  as  possible.  We  then  examined  the  interior  01  the 
bank ;  outside  of  the  counter  nothing  whatever  was  found, 
but  inside  we  discovered  several  important  traces  of  the 
murderer.  The  fireplace  showed  that  something  had 
recently  been  burned  in  it.  The  grate  had  been  per 
fectly  clean  all  summer,  and  Mr.  Gordon  tells  me  such 
was  the  case  when  he  left  the  bank  at  four  o'clock.  The 
character  of  the  ashes — as  I  am  assured  by  expert  .hem- 


M  .f  INKER  I  ON  '$  DETRCTlVfi  STORIES. 

ists — denoted  that  clothing  had  been  burned,  and  while 
examining  them  I  found  several  buttons ;  here  they  are," 
he  added,  producing  four  or  five  iron  buttons,  and  the 
charred  remains  of  two  or  three  horn  buuor.s. 

"  While  feeling  around  in  the  light  ashes  beneath  the 
grate,"  continued  Mr.  Bannatine,  "  I  found  a  piece  of 
paper  twisted  up  and  charred  at  one  end ;  its  appearance 
indicated  that  it  had  been  used  to  light  the  fire  in  the 
grate.  On  unrolling  it  carefully,  it  proved  to  be  a  frag 
ment  of  a  note  for  $927.78;  the  signature,  part  of  the 
date,  and  the  amount  of  the  note  were  left  uncharred,  but 
most  of  the  upper  portion  was  wholly  burned.  The  sig 
nature  was  that  of  Alexander  P.  Drysdale,  our  esteemed 
county  clerk." 

Mr.  Bannatine  here  showed  me  this  fragment  pressed 
out  between  two  oblong  pieces  ol  heavy  plate  glass.  1 
glanced  at  it  a  few  minutes,  and  then  placed  it  beside  the 
buttons  for  future  examination. 

"  Among  the  few  scraps  ot  paper  found,"  resumed  Mr 
Bannatine,  "  was  another  one,  which  we  found  undvr 
George's  body,  saturated  with  blood.  The  murderer  had 
evidently  destroyed  every  piece  of  paper  that  he  could 
find ;  but  this  one  had  probablv  been  lying  on  the  floor, 
and  when  George  fell,  it  was  hidden  by  his  body.  This, 
and  the  note,  were  the  only  papers  found  on  the  desks  or 
about  the  floor  of  the  bank  which  had  any  writing  upon 
them;  even  the  waste  paper  baskets  and  their  contents 
had  been  burned.  Here  is  the  paper,  Mr.  Pinkerton ; 
we  have  preserved  it  carefully,  because  we  thought  that 
it  might  suggest  something  to  a  detective,  though  it  had 
DO  special  significance  to  us." 


'JHJ3.  />A/AC7/r/5  ANU  SOMNAMBULIST.        M 

He  handed  me  the  paper,  as  he  spoke.  It  was  a  frag* 
merit  of  letter  paper,  about  three  by  six  inches  in  size. 
It  was  stained  a  brownish  red  by  poor  young  Gordon's  life- 
blood  ;  but  beneath  the  stain,  were  plainly  visible  the  pen 
marks  of  the  murdered  man.  It  had  a  number  of  figures 
on  one  side,  arranged  like  examples  in  addition,  though 
they  were  scattered  carelessly,  as  if  he  had  been  checking 
off  balances,  and  had  used  this  fragment  to  verify  his 
additions.  The  reverse  side  was  blank.  I  laid  this  paper 
beside  the  note,  and  Mr.  Bannatine  continued  his  story : 

"We  then  opened  the  saie,  and  counted  the  money; 
this  was  easily  done,  for  we  found  that  all  the  loose  money 
was  gone,  leaving  only  a  small  quantity  of  coin  and  a 
number  of  packages  o*  bills.  These  latter  were  put  up 
in  lots  of  five  thousand  dollars  each,  and  were  wrapped  in 
at  bright  red  tissue  paper.  George  had  put  up  over  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  this  way,  about  a  week  before, 
and  the  murderer  had  not  touched  these  packages  at  all 
we  were  thus  spared  a  loss,  which  would  have  somewhat 
crippled  us.  As  it  was,  the  loss  in  bills  amounted  to  about 
one  hundred  and  five  thousand  dollars,  while  exactly 
twenty-eight  thousand  dollars  in  gold  eagles  and  double 
eagles,  were  also  missing.  A  tew  days  after  the  murder, 
one  of  Col.  Garnett's  slaves  found  two  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces  at  an  old  fording  place  on  Rocky  Creek,  just  out 
side  the  city,  and  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
robber  had  dropped  them  there ;  but  of  course,  we  could 
not  identify  gold  pieces,  and  so  we  could  not  be  sure. 
The  coroner  closed  the  inquest  the  following  day,  and  the 
jury  found  a  verdict  ot  death  at  the  hands  of  a  person 
or  persons  unknown.  The  funeral  was  attended  by  people 


M  PlNKERJOWb  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

from  miles  around,  and  there  was  a  general  determination 
shown  to  spare  no  pains  to  bring  the  murderers  to  justice; 
large  rewards  were  offered  by  the  Governor,  by  the  bank, 
and  by  the  county  officials,  and  some  01  the  best  detect 
ives  in  the  country  were  employed,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
When  the  gold  pieces  were  found,  a  number  of  George's 
intimate  friends  organized  a  party  to  search  the  adioining 
woods  for  traces  of  the  criminals,  as  it  was  thought  they 
might  have  camped  out  in  that  vicinity,  before  or  after 
the  deed.  All  of  George's  intimate  friends  joined  in 
the  search,  except  Mr.  Drysdale,  who  was  so  much 
overcome  at  the  terrible  occurrence,  that  he  was  quite 
prostrated.  Nothing  was  found  by  this  party,  however ; 
neither  have  the  various  detectives,  professional  and 
amateur,  who  have  investigated  the  case,  made  the 
slightest  progress  toward  a  solution  of  the  mystery.  vVe 
have  determined  to  make  one  more  effort,  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
and  therefore  we  have  sent  for  you  to  aid  us.  It  may  be 
that  you  will  see  some  trace  which  others  have  overlooked ; 
you  can  take  whatever  Steps  you  choose,  and  you  need 
spare  no  expense.  If  you  are  successful,  we  will  pay  you 
liberally,  besides  the  rewards  offered." 

u  One  of  the  rules  of  my  Agency,"  I  replied,  "  forbids 
the  acceptance  of  rewards ;  hence,  I  wish  it  understood 
in  advance,  that  my  only  charges  will  be  according  to  my 
regular  schedule  of  prices,  and  that  I  exoect  nothing 
more.  This  is  my  invariable  custom,  whether  the  case 
be  one  of  murder,  arson,  burglary,  or  simple  theft ;  the 
number  of  detectives,  and  the  time  they  arc  employed, 
will  determine  the  amount  I  shall  charge." 

We  then  arranged  the  financial  portion  of  our  agree- 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        IT 

ment  to  our  mutual  satisfaction,  and  I  began  my  investi 
gations. 

"What  detectives   have  you   hitherto  employed,  Mr. 
Bannatine?"  I  asked. 

"  I  first  laid  the  matter  before  two  New  York  detectives, 
who  had  been  highly  recommended  to  me,"  he  replied; 
"  but  they  could  offer  no  satisfactory  theory  to  work  upon, 
and  after  staying  here  three  or  four  weeks,  they  said  that 
the  murder  must  have  been  committed  by  some  member 
of  a  gang  of  gamblers ;  they  thought  the  murderer  would 
probably  go  to  New  Orleans  to  exchange  his  money,  and 
that   it  would  be  easy  to   learn   by  going  to   that  city, 
whether  any  gambler  had  had  an  unusual   amount   of 
money  about  that  time.     We  were  not  very  well  satisfied 
with  this  theory,  and  so  the  detectives  returned  to  New 
York.     We    next    engaged   two    detectives   from    New 
Orleans,  but  they  were  equally  unsuccessful.     We  then 
allowed  the  matter  to  rest  until  about  a  month  ago,  when 
we  heard   such  a  favorable   account  of  the  manner  in 
which  you  had  conducted  a  case  of  great  difficulty,  that 
we   began   to  discuss  the  propriety  of  engaging  you  in 
investigating  this  affair.     The  more  we  heard  of  you,  the 
better  we  were  satisfied,  and  finally,  we  authorized  Mr. 
McGregor  to  write  to  you  on  the  subject." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Bannatine,  I  shall  do  my  best,"  I  replied, 
"  but  you  must  not  expect  me  to  work  miracles.  Now,  I 
am  going  to  ask  you  a  number  of  questions,  and  I  wish 
you  to  answer  them  without  regard  to  their  apparent 
drift.  Who  were  George  Gordon's  intimate  friends  ?" 
"Mr,  Flanders,  Mr.  Drysdale,  Mr.  Patterson,  and  Mr 


SI  PIXK&KTON'S  DMTMCriVM 

Henry  Caruthers ;  I  think  they  were  the  only  ones  he  wa» 
really  very  intimate  with ;  isn't  it  so,  Mr.  Gordon  ?" 

"Yes;  George  had  very  few  cronies,"  replied  Mr. 
Gordon. 

"  Who  is  Mr.  Caruthers  ?"  I  asked. 

"  He  is  the  son  of  a  wealthy  planter  living  a  lew  mile* 
from  town,"  replied  Mr.  Bannatine. 

"  Where  was  he  the  afternoon  previous  to  the  murder?" 

"  He  came  into  the  bank  for  a  few  minutes,"  said  Mr. 
Gordon,  "  and  asked  George  to  spend  Sunday  with  him 
on  the  plantation;  then  he  rode  home." 

"  Were  there  any  strange  men  in  or  about  the  bank  that 
day?" 

"  None,  so  far  as  we  could  learn ;  nearly  every  person 
that  I  can  recollect  having  seen  that  day  was  a  customer, 
or  a  townsman  whom  I  knew." 

"When  George  gave  up  carrying  the  safe  keys  home 
with  him,  where  did  he  leave  them  ?" 

"  There  is  a  secret  drawer  in  that  desk,  which  opens 
by  pressing  this  knob,  thus,"  said  Mr.  McGregor,  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word ;  "  we  used  to  keep  the  keys 
:  there." 

"  Did  any  one  beside  you  four  gentlemen  know  this 
hiding  place  ?" 

"  I  am  sure  that  no  one  else  knew  it,"  said  Mr. 
McGregor. 

"  Was  it  necessary  for  George  to  open  the  safe  that 
night,  or  could  he  have  done  his  work  without  going  into 
the  vault  at  all  ?" 

"  He  had  work  to  do  on  the  journal  and  ledger,  and  he 
would  have  to  use  the  keys  to  get  them  out  of  the  vault. 


TUB  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        tt 

He  did  not  need  to  open  the  inner  safe  where  the  money 
was,  however." 

"  Does  the  outer  vault  key  open  both  doors  ?" 

"  No ;  but  they  were  kept  on  the  same  chain  for  con* 
yenience." 

"  Were  the  ledger  and  journal  on  George's  desk  when 
you  entered  the  bank,  Mr.  Gordon  ?" 

"  No,  sir ;  they  were  put  away  in  their  usual  places  in 
the  vault." 

"  Did  they  show  any  marks  of  blood  ?'" 

"  None  at  all;  they  were  perfectly  clean." 

"  Could  you  tell  from  their  appearance  whether  George 
had  done  any  work  upon  them  that  night  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  sure  he  had  done  a  great  deal ;  in  fact  he 
had  finished  up  all  entries  to  date." 

"Were  there  any  papers  missing  besides  the  money?" 

"  Yes ;  one  or  two  bundles  of  old  checks,  drafts,  etc., 
were  used  to  assist  in  burning  the  murderer's  clothes. 
They  were  fastened  in  packages  with  fine  wire,  and  we 
found  the  wire  in  the  grate." 

"Then  this  note,  signed  'Alexander  P.  Drysdale,' 
might  have  been  pulled  out  of  one  of  these  packages  ?" 

"I  suppose  so;  I  don't  know  where  else  it  came  from; 
do  you,  Mr.  McGregor?"  said  Mr.  Gordon,  rather 
bewildered. 

"  No ;  I  never  thought  about  where  it  came  from,"  said 
Mr.  McGregor.  "  I  suppose  the  man  built  a  fire  of  oJd 
papers  and  the  fragments  of  the  waste  paper  baskets,  and 
then  used  that  note  to  set  them  on  fire  from  the  lamp." 

"  There  were  no  papers  of  any  value  used,  then  ?"  I 
continued 


30  PINKERTON'S  DETECT!* a  ^TORIES. 

"  Oh,  no  ;  the  papers  were  old  bundles,  merely  kept  as 
archives  of  the  bank." 

I  then  picked  up  the  note  and  glanced  at  it;  as  I  did 
so,  something  caught  my  eye  which  sent  the  blood  throb 
bing  through  my  veins  at  a  feverish  speed.  Enough  of  the 
date  remained  to  show  that  it  was  drawn  some  time 
during  the  year  of  the  murder,  hence  it  could  hardly  be 
one  of  the  archives.  Besides,  a  note,  if  paid,  would  be 
returned  to  the  maker,  canceled ;  if  unpaid,  it  would  be 
kept  among  the  bills  receivable,  in  the  inner  safe ;  in 
neither  case  could  it  have  been  stowed  away  among  the 
old  checks  and  drafts.  This  reasoning  passed  through 
my  mind  quickly,  and  I  realized  that  that  little  piece  of 
paper  might  play  an  important  part  in  the  tragedy  after 
all.  I  did  not  form  any  definite  theory  on  the  instant, 
but  still  I  had  a  sort  of  presentiment  that  I  had  touched 
a  spring  which  might  open  the  windows  of  this  dark 
mystery  and  let  in  the  light  of  day.  I  did  not  show 
what  I  thought  to  my  companions,  but  continued  to  ask 
questions. 

"  Was  Mr.  Patterson  in  the  bank  the  day  of  the  murder, 
Mr.  Gordon?" 

"  Oh,  no ;  he  was  not  in  this  part  of  the  country  at  that 
time;  he  had  been  in  Mobile  for  some  weeks." 

"  I  understood  you  to  say  that  Mr.  Flanders  went  no 
further  than  the  private  door  with  George ;  did  he  notice 
any  one  standing  about  when  he  came  away  ?" 

"  No ;  he  stopped  only  an  instant,  while  George 
unlocked  the  door,  and  then  gave  the  jewel  box  to  him  to 
put  away.  George  wished  him  good  night,  with  the 
remark  that  he  could  not  ask  him  in,  as  he  would  be  tow 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         31 

busy  to  entertain  him.  Mr.  Flanders  then  came  straight 
back  to  my  store  ;  but  he  said  at  the  inquest  that  he  heard 
George  lock  the  door  behind  him,  and  that  he  saw  no  one 
around  the  building." 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  his  circumstances  at 
that  time  ?  Was  he  in  need  of  money?" 

"No,  indeed;  he  had  a  large  balance  to  his  credit 
Why,  surely,  you  do  not  see  any  reason  to  suspect  Mr. 
Flanders  ?"  said  Mr.  McGregor. 

"  I  don't  say  that  I  suspect  anybody,"  I  replied,  "but 
I  wish  to  gather  all  the  information  possible.  Now, 
please  tell  me  how  large  a  balance  Mr.  Flanders  had  on 
deposit." 

Mr.  McGregor  immediately  examined  the  ledger  for 
the  previous  year,  and  reported  that  the  balance  due  Mr. 
Flanders  at  the  time  of  the  murder,  was  over  twelve 
thousand  dollars. 

"You  see,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  went  on  to  say,  "we 
balanced  our  books  up  to  that  date,  and  thus  we  know 
just  how  each  person's  account  stood  that  day." 

"  Well,  did  you  find  that  any  of  those  gentlemen,  who 
were  in  the  habit  of  entering  the  bank  after  business 
hours,  were  in  debt  to  the  bank,  or  that  they  were 
cramped  for  money  at  that  time?"  I  asked,  carelessly. 

"  None  of  them  were  in  debt  to  the  bank,  I  know," 
replied  Mr.  McGregor;  "  whether  there  were  any  of  them 
in  need  of  money  particularly,  I  cannot  say." 

"  Had  any  of  them  tried  to  borrow  from  the  bank 
recently?" 

"  No ;  in  fact,  none  of  them  had  drawn  out  the  balances 
due  them." 


82  PlNKEkTOWS  DE7ECTIVE  STORIES. 

'*  Please  give  me  a  list  of  their  balances  on  that  day," 
I  said ;  "just  give  me  a  memorandum  of  the  amounts 
standing  to  each  one's  credit." 

"Whose  accounts  shall  we  give  you?"  asked  Mr. 
McGregor,  evidently  wondering  what  object  I  had  in 
view. 

:'Well,  let  me  have  those  of  Mr.  Flanders,  Mr. 
Patterson,  Mr  Drysdale,  and  Mr.  Caruthers ;  also,  let  me 
know  whethei  any  of  those  gentlemen  had  made  any  loan 
from  the  bank  during  that  year,  and  if  so,  the  amount, 
date,  etc.,  and  whether  a  note  was  given,  or  security  of 
any  kind." 

Mr.  McGregor,  and  the  other  two  gentlemen,  were 
completely  mystified  at  my  request,  but  they  complied 
with  my  wishes,  and  I  noted  down  the  amounts  given  me 
in  my  note-book. 

The  balances  were  as  follows:  Patterson,  $2,472.27; 
Drysdale,  $324.22;  Caruthers,  $817.48;  and  Flanders, 
$12,263.03.  None  of  them  had  made  loans  from  the 
bank,  except  Caruthers,  who  had  once  overdrawn  his 
account  nearly  three  hundred  dollars,  but  he  gave  no 
note,  as  he  was  good  for  any  amount.  None  of  the  others 
had  given  a  note  to  the  bank,  or  to  any  one  else,  so  far 
as  was  known,  for  several  years. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  I  said,  "  please  take  me  into  the 
bank  and  show  me  exactly  how  the  place  appeared  when 
Mr.  Gordon  first  discovered  that  George  had  been  mur 
dered." 

Mr.  Gordon  rose  with  great  effort  and  opened  the  door 
connecting  the  private  office  with  the  main  bank.  It 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST,         83 

was  evidently  very  painful  to  him,  but  he  did  not  shrink. 
Turning  to  me,  he  said  : 

"Mr.  Pinkerton,  let  Mr.  McGregor  go  first,  and  light 
the  lamp;  I  will  then  proceed  just  as  I  did  that  morning, 
and  will  point  out  the  exact  position  of  everything  in  the 
bank." 

Mr.  McGregor  accordingly  lighted  a  large  lamp,  which 
threw  a  soft  radiance  over  the  whole  interior,  and  the 
two  moved  the  furniture  into  the  position  in  which  it  had 
been  found  on  that  fatal  morning.  Mr.  Gordon  then 
showed  me  the  exact  position  of  the  body,  the  spot 
where  the  paper  lay,  the  canceling  hammer,  and  the 
blood-marks.  After  I  had  been  shown  everything,  I 
stood  and  thought  over  the  matter  in  connection  with 
the  surroundings,  and  endeavored  to  re-enact  the  scene 
of  the  murder  in  my  own  mind.  Bit  by  bit,  I  brought 
out  some  of  the  surroundings  to  my  own  satisfaction, 
and  when  I  went  back  to  the  private  office,  I  had  a.  well- 
defined  theory  in  my  mind.  Not  that  I  had  so  narrowed 
down  my  suspicions,  as  to  fix  them  upon  any  particular 
individual  —  I  had  not  yet  gone  so  far  —  but  my  theory 
was  fully  established,  and  I  felt  sure  that  by  working  it 
up  carefully,  I  should  soon  discover  some  traces  of  the 
guilty  party.  The  officers  of  the  bank  followed  me  in 
silence,  and  on  resuming  our  seats,  I  said : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  wish  to  take  a  day  to  weigh  the  testi 
mony  in  this  case,  before  I  can  give  you  any  opinion 
about  it.  I  would  like  to  take  this  note,  the  memorandum, 
and  the  buttons  to  my  room,  and  to-morrow  evening  I  will 
tell  you  what  conclusions  I  have  reached.  Is  that  satis 
factory'" 

3 


W  PINKERTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"Certainly;  we  do  not  wish  to  proceed  in  haste,  Mr. 
Pinkerton,"  said  Mr.  Bannatine;  "we  will  meet  yon  then 
at  the  same  hour  to-morrow." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  seem  impatient,"  said  Mr.  Gordon, 
"but  can  you  not  tell  me  now  whether  you  have  obtained 
any  clue  from  what  we  have  told  you,  which  will  enable 
you  to  learn  more?" 

Mr.  Gordon's  anxiety  was  so  keen  that  I  wished  to 
relieve  his  mind  somewhat;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I 
did  not  wish  to  raise  his  hopes  unnecessarily,  lest  some 
unforeseen  thing  might  occur  to  overthrow  my  theory 
entirely.  I  replied,  therefore : 

"  Mr.  Gordon,  I  may  think  I  have  a  clue  now,  which, 
on  mature  reflection,  may  prove  worthless;  hence,  I 
should  prefer  to  take  a  day,  before  giving  my  opinion." 

"You  are  right,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  said;  ''I  should 
feel  worse  to  have  my  hopes  raised,  only  to  be  dashed 
down  again,  than  if  I  had  never  expected  nnvthincr. 
Take  your  own  time,  and  then  let  us  know  the  result.  ' 

"  There  are  two  questions  more,  which  I  would  like 
answered,"  I  said.  "Was  it  possible  for  any  person  to 
have  entered  the  bank  by  force?  That  is,  were  there  any 
indications  whatever,  to  show  that  the  murderer  might 
have  possibly  gained  entrance  during  George's  absence 
at  dinner?" 

"  No ;  none  at  all.  The  sheriff  made  a  very  careful 
examination  of  all  the  windows,  and  both  doors,"  replied 
Mr.  McGregor.  "  He  thought  that  a  gang  of  gamblers, 
who  stopped  here  a  few  weeks,  might  have  used  nippers 
on  the  key  of  the  side  door  after  George  had  locked  it, 
and  that  they  had  then  stolen  upon  George,  at  his  desk, 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         3* 

and  killed  him ;  but,  there  were  no  evidences  that  suck 
was  the  case." 

"  Well,  did  any  one,  except  you  three  gentlemen,  know 
the  private  signal  by  which  those  inside  the  bank  could 
tell  that  the  person  at  the  door,  was  one  of  the  bank 
officers  ?" 

"  I  am  not  sure  about  that,"  said  Mr.  Gordon ;  "possibly 
some  of  our  well-known  friends  might  have  been  with  us 
when  we  gained  admittance  to  the  bank,  but  I  cannot  say 
that  I  think  they  ever  learned  the  signal." 

"You  think,  however,  that  Patterson,  Drysdale,  Flan 
ders,  or  Caruthers,  might  have  known  it?" 

"Yes;  in  fact,  on  thinking  it  over,  I  feel  quite  sure 
that  Mr.  Patterson  and  Mr.  Drysdale  did  know  it." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  I  have  anymore  questions  to 
ask,"  I  said.  "I  shall  be  here  promptly  at  eight  o'clock 
to-morrow  evening,  and  if  you  should  wish  to  communi 
cate  with  me  before  that  time,  send  me  a  message,  and  I 
will  call  at  the  bank.  This  will  not  attract  attention,  as 
my  business  is  supposed  to  be  cotton  buying,  and  a  visit 
at  the  bank  will  not  be  considered  unusual." 

I  then  took  charge  of  the  papers,  etc.,  and  went  to  my 
room  at  the  hotel.  I  merely  glanced  at  the  buttons,  and 
bank  note,  hastily,  as  I  knew  they  could  serve  only  as 
corroboratory  evidence  in  the  event  of  obtaining  a  weak 
chain  of  proof.  I  then  turned  to  the  note,  which  I 
studied  long  and  carefully.  I  was  convinced  that  it  was 
of  recent  date,  at  the  time  of  the  murder,  although  only 
the  last  figure  of  the  date  was  visible.  I  finally  looked 
over  the  blood-stained  piece  of  paper,  which  George  had 
nearly  covered  with  figures.  I  saw  at  a  glance,  that  there 


M  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

was  no  reading  matter  on  it,  but  I  began  to  go  over  his 
figures  half  mechanically,  mentally  following  his  addition, 
to  verity  it. 

Suddenly  my  eyes  caught  two  numbers  near  the  bottom 
of  the  paper.  They  were  placed  together,  and  their 
difference  was  written  below ;  they  were  much  fainter  than 
the  rest,  having  been  made  in  pencil,  instead  of  in  ink. 
It  was  probably  due  to  this  fact,  that  they  had  never  been 
noticed  before,  as  the  deep  stain  made  it  difficult  to 
distinguish  them  clearly,  without  close  observation. 
However  that  may  be,  they  acted  upon  me  like  an 
electric  shock,  and  I  was  obliged  to  walk  about  the  room 
a  few  minutes,  to  compose  my  nerves.  It  was  strange 
that  those  faint  lines  should  have  told  so  much,  but  it 
seemed  almost,  as  if  the  murdered  man  had  whispered 
his  murderer's  name  to  me.  The  numbers  which  were 
there  set  down  were  $927.78,  and  $324.22.  One  of  them 
was  the  amount  of  the  half  burned  note  of  Drysdale;  the 
other,  was  the  amount  of  his  balance  in  the  bank. 

I  sat  up  until  a  very  late  hour,  thinking  over  tie 
possible  solution  of  the  mystery,  and  when  I  finally  went 
to  bed,  I  had  satisfied  myself  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
murderer.  The  next  day,  I  rose  late,  and  spent  the 
afternoon  in  arranging  the  points  of  evidence  in  consecu 
tive  order,  so  as  to  be  able  to  present  them  to  the  bank 
officials  in  the  most  convincing  manner.  I  tnen  walked 
around  town  for  exercise.  During  my  walk,  I  visited  Mr. 
Flanders'  jewelry  store  and  the  county  clerk's  office. 

Mr.  Flanders  was  an  elderly  gentlemen  of  very  mild 
and  courteous  manners,  and  his  whole  appearance  would 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         87 

lead  any  one  to  regard  it  as  impossible,  that  he  should 
have  committed  murder. 

Mr.  Drysdale,  the  county  clerk,  was  a  fine  looking  man, 
of  about  forty  years  of  age.  He  was  of  the  nervous, 
sanguine  type ;  was  quiet  and  courteous,  but  haughty  aad 
reserved  to  strangers ;  he  was  looking  thin  and  weary,  as 
if  he  worked  too  hard,  and  streaks  of  gray  were  just 
visible  in  his  hair  and  mustache. 

I  talked  with  him  for  about  half  an  hour,  representing 
that  I  was  a  stranger,  desirous  of  gaining  information 
about  the  plantations  of  the  county.  He  answered  my 
questions  politely,  but  as  briefly  as  possible,  and  I  saw 
that  my  presence,  apparently,  bored  him,  and  interfered 
with  his  duties.  As  I  was  about  to  go,  I  asked  him  to 
write  the  name  and  address  of  some  reliable  cotton  factor 
in  my  note-book,  and  he  complied  very  willingly.  I  then 
returned  to  the  hotel,  and  patiently  waited  until  eight 
o'clock. 


CHAPTER    II L 

ON  going  to  the  bank  I  found  the  three  gentlemen 
awaiting  me  most  anxiously.  After  the  usual 
greeting  we  seated  ourselves  at  the  table.  I  arranged  my 
notes  for  convenient  reference,  and  began  to  state  my 
conclusions : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  approached  this  case  with  a  great 
deal  of  care,  and  have  given  it  much  thought.  Aside 
from  the  importance  of  the  interests  involved,  there  are 
other  reasons  which  render  me  cautious  in  forming  and 
stating  an  opinion  ;  other  detectives  of  ability  and  experi 
ence  have  been  baffled:  several  months  have  elapsed 
since  the  crimes  were  committed  •  and,  lastly,  the  theory 
upon  which  I  have  reasoned  has  led  me  in  such  a  direc 
tion  that  nothing  but  the  strongest  conviction  in  my  own 
mind  would  warrant  me  in  making  the  statement  which  I 
am  now  about  to  nfive  vou.  Let  me  first,  then,  review  the 
case,  and  show  the  chain  of  evidence  as  it  appears  to  me : 

"  George  Gordon  appears  to  have  been  a  young  man 
of  more  than  average  ability  as  a  bank  officer ;  he  was 
cautious  in  his  habits,  and  at  this  particular  time  he  had 
recently  been  specially  cautioned  by  Mr.  McGregor; 
consequently  it  is  likely  that  he  would  have  been  unusu 
ally  careful  to  admit  only  those  with  whom  he  was  very 
well  acquainted.  Again,  the  position  of  the  furniture  and 
the  appearance  of  the  blood-marks,  show  that  George 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.          39 

was  standing  at  his  desk,  and  that  he  was  struck  from 
behind.  Now,  he  had  finished  his  work  on  the  books 
and  put  them  away.  What,  then,  was  he  doing  ?  There 
is  but  one  thing  which  throws  any  light  upon  this  subject 
— the  bank  bill  which  you  found  in  his  hand.  From  its 
presence  I  infer  that  he  was  engaged  in  handling  money; 
indeed,  I  may  say  that  he  must  have  been  either  receiv 
ing  it  or  paying  it  out.  That  he  was  receiving  it  is  not 
likely,  for  the  murderer  was  probably  short  of  funds; 
hence  I  conclude  that  he  was  paying  it  out.  It  is  also 
clear  that  the  amount  must  have  been  large,  as  shown  by 
the  denomination  of  the  bill — one  hundred  dollars. 

"  These  facts  and  inferences  lead  me  to  believe  that 
the  murderer  was  a  personal  friend  of  George,  and  a  cus 
tomer  of  the  bank ;  and  I  may  say  that  I  had  reached 
this  conclusion  yesterday  evening,  while  listening  to  the 
testimony  of  you  three  gentlemen,  before  I  had  discovered 
any  corroborative  evidence.  I  will  now  give  some  of  the 
additional  points  which  I  have  brought  out  since  then; 
but  I  wish  that  you  would  first  tell  me  whether  this  sig 
nature  is  genuine,"  I  said,  pointing  to  Alexander  P.  Drys- 
dale's  name  on  the  note. 

"Oh,  yes;  there  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  said  Mr. 
McGregor ;  "  I  am  perfectly  familiar  with  his  signature, 
and  there  is  no  question  in  my  mind  but  that  he  signed 
that  himself." 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  I  will  now  make  up  a  possible  case, 
and  you  can  see  how  nearly  it  compares  with  the  present 
matter.  I  will  suppose  that  a  man  of  wealth,  refinement, 
and  position,  should  become  cramped  for  money  to  supply 
present  necessities ;  he  is  intimate  with  the  officers  of  a 


40  PJNKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

wealthy  bank ;  he  goes  there  one  evening  and  is  admitted 
by  his  friend,  the  acting  cashier.  He  explains  his  embar 
rassment,  and  his  friend  agrees  to  lend  him  the  amount 
which  he  requires.  The  friend  completes  his  work,  puts 
away  his  books,  and  figures  up  the  amount  needed.  The 
borrower  has  a  small  balance  to  his  credit,  and  he  gives  a 
note  for  the  difference.  Then  the  teller  opens  the  safe, 
brings  out  a  roll  of  bills,  and  begins  to  count  out  the 
amount.  The  safe  door  is  left  open,  and  the  visitor  sees 
within  the  piles  of  bank-notes  and  the  rouleaux  of  gold. 
A  fortune  in  cash  is  within  his  grasp  with  only  a  human 
life  standing  in  his  way ;  his  perplexities  and  embarrass 
ments  come  upon  him  with  added  force  as  he  sees  the 
means  before  him  by  which  he  may  escape  their  power  to 
annoy  him.  Like  Tantalus,  dying  of  thirst  with  the  water 
at  his  very  lips,  this  man  gazes  on  the  wealth  piled  up  in 
that  safe.  Glancing  around,  he  sees  his  friend  slowly 
counting  the  paltry  hundreds  he  is  to  receive;  close  by 
lies  a  heavy  weapon,  heretofore  used  for  innocent  busi 
ness  purposes ;  another  glance  into  the  safe  and  insanity 
is  upon  him  ;  his  brain  is  a  perfect  hell  of  contending 
passions ;  again  the  thought  flashes  into  his  mind — '  Only 
a  life  between  me  and  that  money.'  He  seizes  the  heavy 
hammer  and  deals  his  victim  a  terrible  blow  behind  the 
ear ;  as  the  latter  falls  lifeless,  the  murderer  strikes  him 
twice  more  to  make  sure  that  there  shall  be  no  witnesses 
to  testify  in  the  case.  The  deed  is  done,  and  there 
remains  nothing  to  prevent  him  from  seizing  the  contents 
of  the  safe.  But  first,  he  must  protect  himself  from  the 
danger  of  discovery ;  to  this  end  he  carefully  removes  his 
bloody  clothing,  gathers  every  vestige  of  paper  within 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST,         41 

sight,  and  breaks  up  the  waste  paper  baskets  for  fuel. 
He  needs  more  flame,  however,  and  he  takes  several 
packages  of  old  papers  to  make  the  fire  fiercer;  then  his 
eye  falls  on  a  slip  of  paper  lying  on  the  desk,  and  he 
twists  it  nervously  into  a  lighter  to  convey  fire  from  the 
lamp  to  the  mass  of  material  in  the  fire-place.  The  flam* 
is  started,  and  soon  the  clothes  are  reduced  to  ashes. 
Stealthily  he  packs  the  packages  of  bills  and  the  rolls 
of  coin,  and  when  he  has  taken  as  much  as  he  can  carry, 
he  slips  noiselessly  away,  leaving  no  trace  of  his  identity. 
No  one  has  seen  him  enter  or  depart ;  his  position  is  far 
above  the  reach  of  suspicion ;  every  clue  has  been 
destroyed  in  the  fire-place,  and  no  witness  to  his  guilt 
can  possibly  be  raised  up.  So  he  thinks ;  and  as  month 
after  month  passes,  as  detective  after  detective  abandons 
the  case  in  despair,  as  the  excitement  dies  out  in  the 
public  mind,  and  as  the  friends  of  the  deceased  appar 
ently  give  up  the  hopeless  task  of  seeking  for  the  mur 
derer,  his  confidence  becomes  complete,  and  he  no  longer 
fears  detection. 

"  But  stop !  when  his  victim  fell  a  bloody  corpse  at  his 
feet,  was  every  witness  destroyed ?  No,  gentlemen ; 
helpless  and  lifeless  as  that  body  fell,  it  yet  had  the  power 
to  avenge  itself.  The  right  hand  convulsively  grasps  a 
bank  note,  and  it  is  hidden  from  sight  by  the  position 
assumed  in  falling ;  a  slip  of  white  paper  dotted  with 
figures  at  random,  is  also  covered,  and  is  quickly  satu 
rated  with  blood ;  a  fragment  of  paper  is  found  below  the 
grate,  twisted  so  tightly  as  to  have  burned  only  in  part ; 
lastly,  the  direction  of  the  blood-spirts  show  that  the  first 
blow  was  struck  on  the  left  side.  Now,  gentlemen,  do 


4*  PJNKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

you  think  you  can  read  the  testimony  of  these  dumb 
witnesses  ?" 

"My  God!  I  do  not  know  what  to  think,"  said  Mr. 
Gordon. 

"I  see  where  your  suspicions  lead,"  said  Mr.  Banna- 
tine,  "  but  I  do  not  yet  fully  know  whether  I  can  see  the 
evidence  in  the  same  light  that  you  do.  Please  go  on 
and  tell  us  all  you  suspect,  and  your  reasons." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  said  Mr.  McGregor,  "whom  do 
you  suspect  ?" 

"  Gentlemen,"  I  replied,  solemnly,  "  I  have  formed  no 
hasty  conclusion  in  this  matter,  and  I  should  not  accuse 
any  man  without  the  strongest  reasons  for  believing  him 
guilty ;  but  I  think  that  when  I  have  connected  together 
the  links  which  I  have  gathered,  you  will  agree  \sith  me 
in  the  moral  certainty  that  George  Gordon  was  mirdered 
by  Alexander  P.  Drysdale,  and  no  other." 

"  Go  on,  go  on,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  said  Mr.  Go  don,  in 
great  excitement.  "  It  seems  impossible,  yet  there  are 
some  slight  fancies  in  my  mind  which  seem  to  confirm 
that  theory.  Tell  us  all  your  conclusions,  and  how  you 
have  arrived  at  them." 

"  Well,  first,  I  am  satisfied  that  only  a  particular  friend 
would  have  been  admitted  to  the  bank  by  George  that 
night ;  second,  the  blow  was  struck  from  behind,  on  the 
left  side,  showing  that  the  murderer  was  probably  left- 
handed.  Mr.  Drysdale  satisfies  both  of  these  conditions; 
I  visited  him  to-day  and  saw  him  write  an  address  in  my 
note-book  with  his  left  hand.  Third,  I  have  here  a  note 
for  $927.78,  signed  'Alexander  P.  Drysdale;'  the  signa 
ture,  you  say,  is  genuine,  and  further,  you  told  me  yester- 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         48 

d»y  that  you  had  not  held  a  note  of  Mr.  Drysdale  's  for 
»ome  years.  On  reflection  you  will  see  that  this  note 
could  not  have  been  taken  from  the  packages  of  bank 
archives  which  were  burned,  for  it  never  could  have  been 
put  there;  moreover  it  is  dated  '1856,'  and  must  have 
been  made  some  time  last  year.  As  you  have  no  record 
of  such  a  note,  I  infer  that  it  was  drawn  the  night  of  the 
murder.  Fourthly,  I  have  conclusive  evidence  of  that 
fact  in  this  slip  of  blood-stained  paper,"  and  so  saying,  I 
produced  the  slip  upon  which  George  had  done  his 
figuring. 

"How!  where!"  exclaimed  my  listeners. 

"  Near  the  bottom  of  that  paper  you  will  find  in  light 
pencil  marks  three  numbers  arranged  like  an  example  in 
subtraction,  while  the  rest  are  all  additions  in  ink.  The 
figures  are:  first,  1,252.00;  then,  324.22;  and  927.78 
below  the  line.  Mr.  Drysdale's  balance  was  $324.22,  and 
the  amount  of  this  note  bearing  his  signature  is  $927.78. 
It  looks  to  me  as  if  he  wanted  to  draw  $1,252.00,  and 
that  George  subtracted  the  amount  of  his  balance  in 
bank,  $324.22,  from  the  amount  he  wished  to  draw, 
$1,352.00,  and  that  Mr.  Drysdale  then  gave  his  note  for 
the  difference,  $927.78.  What  do  you  think  of  my  witness, 
gentlemen  ?" 

The  three  gentlemen  put  their  heads  together  over  the 
paper  long  enough  to  convince  themselves  that  the  figures 
were  really  there,  and  then  they  resumed  their  seats  in 
silence.  I  had  watched  their  faces  carefully  as  I  drew 
my  conclusions,  and  had  seen  their  expressions  change 
from  incredulity  to  uncertain^,  then  to  amazement, 


44  PINKERTON'S  DEfECTiVE  STORIES. 

finally  turning  gradually  to  half  belief;  but  when  they 
sat  down,  positive  conviction  was  evident  in  every  face. 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  these  facts  were  never  discov 
ered  before  ?"  ejaculated  Mr.  Bannatine. 

"  It  is  very  simple,"  I  replied ;  "  the  search  has  hitherto 
been  conducted  on  a  wrong  basis.  The  whole  endeavor 
seems  to  have  been  to  guess  who  might  have  done  the 
deed,  and  then  to  find  evidence  to  convict  him.  My 
plan  in  all  similar  cases  is,  to  first  examine  the  evidence 
before  me,  with  a  perfectly  unbiased  mind ;  then,  having 
formed  u  theory  by  reasoning  on  general  principles,  as 
applied  to  the  facts  in  my  possession,  I  proceed  to  look 
about  for  some  person  who  will  answer  the  conditions  of 
my  .heory.  I  may  find  more  than  one,  and  I  then  am 
obliged  to  make  each  such  person  the  object  of  rny  atten 
tion  until  I  obtain  convincing  proof  of  his  innocence  or 
guilt.  The  person  upon  whom  my  theory  causes  suspi 
cion  to  fall,  may  have  been  hitherto  regarded  as  above 
suspicion;  but,  that  fac.  does  not  deter  me  in  the  least 
degree  from  placing  that  person's  circumstances,  motives, 
and  action :  under  the  microscope,  so  to  speak ;  for 
experience  and  observation,  have  taught  me  that  the 
most  uifncult  crimes  to  fix  upon  the  criminal,  are  those 
whicL  have  becu  committed  by  men  whose  previous 
reputation  had  been  unspotted.  Now,  you  have  never 
connected  Mr.  Drysdalc  with  this  affair,  because  it  has 
never  entered  your  minds  to  suspect  him;  but,  had  you 
gone  over  the  ground  in  the  same  manner  that  I  have 
done,  you  would  have  been  led  to  the  same  conclusion. 
This  is  the  real  point,  where  the  services  of  an  expe 
rienced  detective,  are  most  valuable.  The  plan  by  which 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         4ft 

a  detective  operation  is  to  be  conducted,  is  as  important 
as  the  method  of  procedure.  To  find  a  man  who  is 
hiding  from  justice,  his  criminality  being  well  known,  is 
a  task  of  little  difficulty,  compared  with  the  labor  involved 
in  mysterious  cases,  where  there  is  apparently,  nothing 
left  to  identify  the  criminal.  I  claim  no  special  credit  in 
this  case,  since  the  clues  have  proven  more  numerous 
than  had  been  supposed,  but  I  have  given  you  my  idea 
of  the  proper  way  to  conduct  an  investigation,  simply  to 
show  you  how  I  am  accustomed  to  work.  Let  me  now 
ask,  whether  any  of  you  have  doubts,  as  to  the  propriety 
of  putting  my  detectives  upon  the  trail  of  Mr.  Drysdale, 
to  determine  the  extent  of  his  connection,  if  any,  in  the 
murder  of  George  Gordon  ?" 

"None  whatever,"  said  Mr.  Bannatine,  emphatically; 
"  it  seems  almost  impossible  that  he  should  be  guilty;  but, 
in  the  face  of  the  strong  array  of  accusing  circumstances 
cited  by  you,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  can  only  say :  '  Go  on 
with  your  work  in  your  own  way.'  The  innocent  have 
nothing  to  fear,  and  the  guilty  deserve  no  mercy." 

"  Amen. "  said  both  the  other  gentlemen. 

"What  is  your  plan?"  asked  Mr.  Gordon. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  been  struck  with 
some  strong  points  of  resemblance  between  Drysdale 
and  one  of  Bulwer's  characters,  Eugene  Aram.  You  are 
aware,  that  the  only  evidence  \re  can  bring  against 
Drysdale,  is  circumstantial,  and  that  we  could  hardly 
obtain  an  indictment  on  the  strength  of  it ;  still  less  a 
conviction  for  murder.  Besides,  there  is  a  large  amount 
of  money  at  stake,  and  it  is  desirable  to  recover  that 
money,  as  well  as  to  convict  the  murderer.  We  must 


«b  ftfi/KERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

proceed,  therefore,  with  great  caution,  lest  we  defeat  our 
own  plans  by  premature  action.  I  have  arranged  a 
scheme  to  obtain  a  direct  proof  of  Drysdale's  guilt, 
and  with  your  consent,  I  will  put  it  in  operation  imme 
diately." 

I  then  gave  the  details  of  my  plan,  and  the  gentle 
men,  though  somewhat  nervous  as  to  the  result,  finally 
acquiesced  in  it. 

The  next  morning,  I  left  Atkinson,  for  Chicago,  where 
I  duly  arrived,  somewhat  improved  in  health,  by 
my  Southern  trip.  I  immediately  sent  for  Timothy 
Webster,  one  of  my  most  expert  detectives,  to  whom 
I  gave  full  charge  of  the  case  in  Atkinson.  I  explained 
to  him  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  it,  and 
instructed  him  in  the  plan  I  had  arranged.  Mrs.  Kate 
Warne,  and  a  young  man  named  Green,  were  assigned  to 
assist  Webster,  and  all  the  necessary  disguises  and 
clothing,  were  prepared  at  short  notice. 

Mrs.  Warne  was  the  first  lady  whom  I  had  ever 
employed,  and  this  was  one  of  the  earliest  operations 
in  which  she  was  engaged.  As  a  detective,  she  had  no 
superior,  and  she  was  a  lady  of  such  refinement,  tact, 
and  discretion,  that  I  never 'hesitated  to  entrust  to  her 
some  of  my  most  difficult  undertakings. 

It  will  be  understood  by  the  reader,  that  each  detective 
made  daily  reports  to  me,  and  that  I  constantly  directed 
the  operation  by  mail  or  telegraph.  This  has  always 
been  my  invariable  custom,  and  no  important  steps  are 
ever  taken  without  my  order,  unless  circumstances  should 
occur  which  would  not  admit  the  delay. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ABOUT  a  week  after  my  departure  from  Atkinson,  a 
gentleman  arrived  there  by  the  evening  train,  and 
went  to  the  hotel.  He  was  an  intelligent,  shrewd,  agree 
able  business  man,  about  thirty-five  years  old,  and  he 
impressed  all  who  made  his  acquaintance,  as  a  gentleman 
of  ability  and  energy.  He  signed  the  register,  as  '  John 
M.  Andrews,  Baltimore,'  and  the  landlord  soon  learned 
from  him  that  he  had  come  to  Atkinson  to  reside  perma 
nently,  if  he  could  get  into  business  there.  Mr.  Andrews 
was  evidently  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  though  he 
made  no  ostentatious  display,  nor  did  he  talk  about  his 
property  as  though  he  cared  to  impress  upon  other  people 
the  idea  that  he  was  rich.  Still,  it  came  to  be  generally 
understood,  in  a  few  days,  that  he  had  made  quite  a 
fortune,  as  a  cotton  broker,  in  Baltimore,  and  that  he  had 
a  considerable  sum  in  cash  to  invest,  when  a  desirable 
opportunity  should  offer.  This  fact,  together  with  his 
agreeable  manners,  made  his  society  quite  an  acquisition 
to  the  town,  and  he  was  soon  on  familiar  terms  with  all 
the  regular  boarders  in  the  hotel,  and  with  many  promi 
nent  residents  of  the  place. 

Some  days  after  Mr.  Andrews  arrived  the  hotel 
received  another  equally  popular  guest.  She  gave  her 
name,  as  Mrs.  R.  C.  Potter,  and  her  object  in  visiting 
Atkinson,  was  to  improve  her  health.  She  was  accom- 


48  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

panied  by  her  father,  Mr.  C.  B.  Rowell,  a  fine  looking, 
white-haired  old  gentleman,  but  he  remained  only  long 
enough  to  see  her  comfortably  settled,  and  then  returned 
to  their  home  in  Jacksonville,  Florida,  as  his  business 
required  his  immediate  presence  there.  Mrs.  Potter  was 
a  distingushed  looking  brunette ;  she  was  a  widow  with 
no  children,  and  she  might  have  passed  for  thirty  years 
of  age.  She  was  tall  and  graceful,  and  her  entertaining 
conversation  made  her  a  general  favorite  among  the  ladies 
in  the  hotel.  She  was  not  an  invalid,  strictly  speaking, 
but  the  family  physician  had  recommended  that  she 
should  go  to  the  dry  air  of  northern  Mississippi  for  a 
few  months,  to  escape  the  rainy,  loggy  weather  of  Florida 
at  that  season. 

About  a  week  after  her  arrival,  she  went  out  with  two 
other  ladies,  Mrs.  Townsend  and  Mrs.  Richter,  to  explore 
the  beauties  of  Rocky  Creek.  They  spent  a  pleasant 
afternoon  in  the  wooded  ravines,  and  it  was  after  five 
o'clock,  before  they  returned.  As  they  sauntered  down 
one  of  the  pleasantest  streets  of  the  town,  they  noticed 
&  lady  standing  at  the  gate  of  an  elegant  residence,  with 
large  grounds. 

"Oh!  there  is  Mrs.  Drysdale,"  said  Mrs  Townsend. 
"  Have  you  met  her,  Mrs.  Potter?" 

"  Not  yet,  though  I  have  heard  of  her  so  frequently, 
that  I  feel  almost  as  if  1  knew  her." 

"Well,  I  think  you  will  like  each  other  very  much," 
said  Mrs.  Richter,  "  and  we  will  introduce  you  to  her." 

On  reaching  the  gate,  therefore,  the  ladies  presented 
Mrs.  Potter  in  due  form. 

"  I  have  been  intending  to  call  on  you,  Mrs.  Potter," 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST,         48 

said  Mrs.  Drysdale,  "  but  my  youngest  child  has  not  been 
well,  and  I  have  not  gone  anywhere  for  several  weeks. 
In  fact,  I  am  quite  a  home  body  at  all  times,  and  I  always 
expect  my  friends  to  waive  ceremony,  and  visit  me  a 
great  deal  more  than  I  visit  them.  I  hope  you  will  not 
wait  for  me,  Mrs.  Potter,  for  my  domestic  affairs  keep  me 
very  busy  just  now;  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  any  time 
that  you  feel  like  dropping  in." 

"I  shall  be  very  glad  to  dispense  with  formalities," 
answered  Mrs.  Potter,  "  and  you  can  depend  upon  seeing 
me  soon." 

After  some  further  conversation,  the  three  ladies 
resumed  their  homeward  walk,  leaving  Mrs.  Drysdale 
still  waiting  for  her  husband.  He  was  soon  seen  by  the 
ladies,  rapidly  walking  up  the  street  toward  his  home. 
Ke  was  on  the  opposite  side,  so  that  he  merely  bowed  to 
them,  and  hastened  on. 

"There  seems  to  have  been  quite  a  change  in  Mr. 
Drysdale  during  the  last  year,"  said  Mrs.  Richter.  "  My 
husband  was  speaking  of  it  the  other  day.  He  said  that 
Drysdale  was  becoming  really  unsociable.  I  hope  he  is 
not  growing  dissipated,  for  the  sake  of  his  wife,  who  is  a 
lovely  woman." 

"  Yes ;  she  seems  to  be  a  most  devoted  wife  and 
mother,"  said  Mrs.  Potter.  "  Possibly,  the  change  in 
Mr.  Drysdale,  is  due  to  business  troubles." 

"  Oh,  no ;  that  is  impossible,"  said  Mrs.  Townsend ; 
"  he  is  very  wealthy  indeed,  and  as  he  is  not  engaged  in 
any  regular  business,  he  cannot  be  financially  embarrassed. 
No,  I  attribute  his  recent  peculiarities,  to  religious  doubt*; 
he  has  not  been  to  church  since  last  fall." 
4 


SO  PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECT1 VE  STORIES, 

"Is  it  as  long  as  that?"  asked  Mrs.  Richter. 

"Yes;  I  recollect  it,  because  he  did  not  go  to  the 
funeral  of  poor  George  Gordon,  and  he  has  not  attended 
service  since  then." 

"  Well,  if  he  really  is  in  religious  trouble,  the  minister 
ought  to  visit  him  and  give  him  advice,"  said  Mrs.  Richter. 

As  they  walked  toward  the  hotel,  they  turned  the  con 
versation  into  a  different  channel  without  reaching  any 
conclusion  as  to  the  cause  of  Mr.  Drysdale's  eccen 
tricities. 

A  few  days  thereafter  Mrs.  Potter  called  upon  Mrs. 
Drysdale  and  passed  the  afternoon  very  pleasantly 
When  Mr.  Drysdale  came  home  he  was  very  polite  and 
agreeable;  he  seemed  glad  to  find  his  wife  enjoving 
herself,  and  when  Mrs.  Potter  rose  to  go,  both  husband 
and  wife  urged  her  warmly  to  come  frequently. 

"  I  am  going  out  to  my  plantation  in  a  day  or  two," 
said  Mr.  Drysdale.  "and  I  hone  you  will  visit  my  wife 
while  I  am  gone,  as  I  am  afraid  she  may  be  lonesome." 

"  Who  are  vou  ^oing  with  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Drysdale. 

"  There  is  a  gentleman  from  Baltimore,  staying  at  the 
hotel,"  replied  Mr.  Drysdale,  "  and  he  talks  of  investing 
some  money  in  land,  so  I  thought  I  would  take  him  out 
to  see  Bristed's  old  ^lace  next  to  mine.  It  is  Toinp  to 
ruin  now,  but  if  a  man  like  Mr.  Andrews  would  take  it,  he 
could  make  it  pay.  He  seems  very  intelligent  and  agree 
able  ;  I  suppose  you  have  met  him,  Mrs.  Potter  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes ;  he  was  introduced  to  me  the  first  week  I 
was  here,"  replied  Mrs.  Potter.  "  He  seems  to  me  to  be 
a  Southern  gentleman  mtli  a  good  deal  of  real  Yankee 
shrewdness." 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         51 

"That  is  my  opinion,  also,"  said  Mr.  Drysdale,  "and 
if  he  buys  Bristed's  place,  he  will  join  me  in  some 
improvements  which  are  much  needed." 

"  Well,  good  afternoon,  Mrs.  Drysdale,"  said  Mrs.  Pot 
ter  ;  "  I  am  going  out  horseback  riding  in  a  day  or  two,  and 
perhaps  I  will  stop  here  a  few  minutes  on  my  way  back." 

"  Do  so,  Mrs.  Potter;  we  shall  be  delighted  to  see  you. 
Good  afternoon." 

On  Mrs.  Potter's  return  to  the  hotel,  she  stayed  in  the 
parlor  for  some  time,  and  as  Mr.  Andrews  came  in  soon 
after,  they  had  a  pleasant  tete-a-tete  before  going  to 
dinner. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Andrews  went  out  to  get  a  cab 
inet-maker  to  make  a  small  book-case  for  his  room,  and 
the  hotel  clerk  directed  him  to  the  shop  of  Mr.  Breed. 
The  latter  said  that  he  was  very  busy,  indeed,  but  that  he 
could  get  a  young  man  who  was  boarding  with  him  to  do 
the  job. 

"  Is  he  a  good  workman  ?"  asked  Mr.  Andrews. 

"  I  think  he  is,"  replied  Breed,  "  though  I  am  not  sure, 
as  he  came  here  only  day  before  yesterday  from  Memphis. 
He  has  served  his  time  at  the  trade,  however,  and  he 
ought  to  be  able  to  make  a  book-case  neatly." 

"  Well,  send  him  over,  Mr.  Breed,  and  I  will  give  him 
a  trial.  By  the  way,  who  was  that  gentleman  that  just 
passed  ?  I  have  seen  him  several  times,  but  have  never 
met  him  in  society." 

"  That  was  Mr.  Peter  A.  Gordon,"  said  Breed.  "  He 
boards  at  the  hotel,  also,  but  he  rarely  mingles  with  other 
men  except  in  business." 

*  1  am  surprised  at  that,"  Mr.  Andrews  remarked,  "  for 


5fi  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

he  appears  like  a  naturally  genial  man;  yet  he  has  a  very 
sad  look." 

"  Yes  ;  he  has  never  recovered  from  the  shock  of  his 
nephew's  murder  last  fall ;  he  always  used  to  be  very 
sociable  and  hospitable,  but  now  he  seems  too  much  cast 
down  to  care  for  society.  You  may  have  heard  of  the 
dreadful  manner  in  which  young  George  Gordon  was 
murdered  ?" 

"Oh,  yes;  I  recollect,"  said  Mr.  Andrews,  "the  cir 
cumstances  were  related  to  me  soon  after  I  arrived  here. 
George  Gordon  seems  to  have  been  a  fine  young  fellow, 
and  I  don't  wonder  the  old  gentleman  mourns  his  loss." 

"  He  was  one  of  the  most  promising  young  men  I  ever 
knew,"  said  Mr.  Breed,  warmly:  "and  speaking  of  poor 
George,  reminds  me  that  I  noticed  a  strong  resemblance 
to  him  in  this  young  workman  boarding  with  me.  Ordi 
narily  I  would  not  have  perceived  it,  but  yesterday  he 
slipped  on  a  coat  of  mine,  which  was  just  like  the  one 
George  used  to  wear,  and  the  likeness  was  remarkable." 

"  You  were  one  of  the  first  at  the  bank  the  day  after 
the  murder,  were  you  not,  Mr.  Breed  ?" 

"  Yes ;  and  it  was  a  dreadful  sight.  It  was  wonderful 
how  Mr.  Peter  Gordon  retained  his  presence  of  mind ; 
he  did  not  break  down  until  he  found  that  there  was  no 
hope  of  discovering  the  murderer." 

"  Was  no  one  ever  suspected  ?"  asked  Mr.  Andrews. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  several  persons  were  arrested — gamblers 
and  loafers — but  they  all  proved  their  innocence  conclu 
sively." 

Mr.   Andrews    showed    considerable   interest    in  the 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        » 

murder,  and  Mr.  Breed  related  all  that  was  known  about 
it.  When  he  was  about  to  go,  Mr.  Andrews  said  : 

"Well,  it  is  a  very  mysterious  affair,  and  I  am  not 
surprised  that  Mr.  Gordon  is  so  dejected ;  that  horrible 
scene  must  be  always  before  him.  By  the  way,  don't  let 
your  young  man  dress  in  gray,  when  he  comes  to  my 
room ;  I  should  be  continually  haunted  with  a  suspicion 
that  it  was  a  ghost." 

"Please  don't  speak  of  that  to  any  one,"  said  Mr. 
Breed,  confidentially;  "I  ought  not  to  have  mentioned 
it  myself,  for  young  Green  was  frightened  nearly  out  of 
his  wits  about  it.  As  I  said  before,  when  he  wears  his 
every-day  clothes,  no  one  would  notice  any  special 
resemblance,  but  in  that  particular  style  of  dress,  the 
likeness  was  really  alarming.  He  was  so  scared,  that  in 
future,  he  will  take  great  care  not  to  be  seen  in  any 
clothes  like  those  of  poor  George." 

"  Of  course,  I  shall  not  mention  the  matter,"  said  Mr. 
Andrews ;  "  send  him  over  this  afternoon." 


CHAPTER  V 

ON  leaving  Mr.  Breed,  Mr.  Andrews  paid  a  visit  to 
Mr.  Drysdale,  at  the  latter's  office. 

"I  hope  I  shall  not  interfere  with  your  work,  Mr. 
Drysdale,"  he  said.  "  I  am  an  idler  for  the  present,  but 
I  try  to  respect  the  business  hours  of  others,  and  so,  if 
I  disturb  you,  let  me  know  it." 

"  Oh !  not  at  all,  I  assure  you,"  said  Mr.  Drysdale, 
warmly.  "  I  am  never  very  busy,  and  just  now,  there 
is  nothing  whatever  to  do.  Indeed,  I  wish  I  had  m»re 
to  do  —  this  lack  of  steady  work  wears  upon  me.  I  need 
something  to  keep  my  mind  constantly  occupied." 

"That  is  where  you  and  I  differ,"  said  Andrews;  "I 
have  worked  pretty  hard  for  twenty  years,  and  now  I  am 
willing  to  take  a  rest.  I  don't  wish  to  be  wholly  idle,  but 
I  like  to  give  up  a  good  part  of  my  time  to  recreation." 

"I  used  to  feel  so,  too,"  said  Drysdale,  as  if  his 
thoughts  were  far  away;  then,  he  added,  hastily,  as  if 
recollecting  himself:  "  I  mean  that  I  have  felt  so  at  times, 
but  I  always  need  to  come  back  to  hard  work  again. 
Will  you  be  ready  to  go  out  to  my  plantation  next 
Monday?" 

"  Yes ;  Monday  will  suit  me  as  well  as  any  other  day," 
replied  Andrews.  "  When  shall  we  return  ?" 

"  I  had  not  intended  to  remain  there  more  than  three 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.       35 

or  four  days,  unless  you  should  wish  to  stay  longer.  If 
agreeable  to  you,  we  will  return  Thursday  afternoon." 

"  That  will  enable  me  to  join  our  riding  party  the  next 
day,"  said  Andrews.  "  All  right ;  I  will  be  ready  to  start 
Monday  morning.  Now,  I  must  be  going ;  I  only  stopped 
to  find  out  when  you  would  be  ready  to  go." 

"1  am  sorry  you  cannot  stay  longer,"  said  Drysdale. 
"  I  hope  that  you  will  drop  in  without  ceremony,  when 
ever  you  feel  like  it." 

in  the  afternoon,  young  Green,  the  cabinet-maker, 
called  upon  Mr.  Andrews,  and  went  up  to  the  latter's 
room.  The  work  to  be  done,  must  have  required  a  great 
deal  of  explanation,  as  Green  remained  nearly  an  hour. 
As  he  went  out,  Mr.  Andrews  said  to  him : 

"If  we  fail  to  return  Thursday,  you  must  be  there 
Friday  at  the  same  hour.  You  had  better  take  a  look  at 
the  place  before  then." 

On  Monday,  Mr.  Drysdale  called  at  the  hotel  imme 
diately  after  breakfast,  and  found  Mr.  Andrews  all  ready 
for  the  ride  to  the  olantation.  As  they  rode  out  of  town, 
Mr.  Drysdale's  spirits  seemed  to  rise  rapidly,  and  he 
entertained  his  companion  so  successfully,  that  when  they 
reached  the  plantation,  they  had  become  ouite  well 
acquainted  with  each  other.  Drysdale  was  a  man  of 
fine  education,  and  fascinating  manners ;  he  really  had 
great  eloquence,  and  his  abilities  were  far  above  the 
average,  but  the  circumstances  of  his  ife  had  not  been 
such  as  to  develop  nis  powers,  and  give  play  to  his 
ambition;  hence,  he  was  annarently  becoming  disap 
pointed,  sour,  and  morose.  At  least,  this  was  the  impres 
sion  which  many  of  his  friends  had  gained,  and  they 


06  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

accounted  for  the  gradual  change  in  his  manners  on  the 
above  theory;  namely,  that  he  was  the  victim  of  disap 
pointed  ambition. 

During  their  stay  at  the  plantation,  the  gentlemen 
usually  spent  their  evenings  together,  while  the  mornings 
were  given  up  to  business  by  Drysdale,  and  to  hunting  by 
Andrews.  The  plantation  required  a  great  deal  of  atten 
tion  just  in  the  spring,  and  Drysdale's  time  was  pretty 
well  occupied.  Andrews  easily  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  the  neighboring  planters,  and  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  paying  visits  around  the  country.  He  thought 
quite  favorably  of  buying  the  Bristed  plantation,  as 
Drysdale  had  hoped,  but  the  owner  wished  to  sell 
another  place  with  it,  and  Andrews  did  not  care  to  buy 
both.  Drysdale  suggested  that  by  autumn,  the  owner 
would  be  willing  to  sell  it  separately,  and  he  advised 
Andrews  to  hold  off  until  then. 

On  Thursday,  Andrews  started  out  shooting  early, 
agreeing  to  be  back  at  noon,  to  make  an  early  start  for 
Atkinson,  as  the  time  required  to  ride  there,  was  about 
four  hours.  He  strayed  so  far  away,  however,  that  it 
was  two  o'clock  before  he  returned,  and  they  did  not 
mount  their  horses  until  three  o'clock.  By  this  time, 
they  had  become  much  more  intimate  than  one  would 
have  i-x.per.ted  on  so  short  acquaintance,  and  Drysdale 
showed  a  marked  pleasure  in  the  company  of  his  new 
friend.  During  the  first  part  of  the  ride,  he  was  as 
brilliant  and  entertaining  as  possible,  out,  as  they  ap 
proached  the  town,  he  began  to  lose  his  cheerfulness, 
and  to  become  almost  gloomy.  Both  gentlemen  w«** 


.  -  >,  . ,  2  y  f  £.  As.l,  SfJ'tzA/AAf^  VL1ST.        ft 

rather  tired,  and  they  soon  allowed  the  conversation  to 
drop  almost  wholly. 

It  was  early  dusk  when  they  reached  the  banks  of 
Rocky  Creek,  about  a  mile  irom  Drysdale's  house.  From 
this  point,  the  scenery  was  bold  and  picturesque ;  the  road 
passed  through  heavy  masses  of  timber  at  times,  and 
crossed  many  ravines  and  rocky  gorges,  as  it  followed  the 
general  direction  of  the  winding  stream.  Daylight  was 
rapidly  iadinr  into  the  night,  though  objects  could  still 
be  distinguished  quite  well  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
yards.  As  they  arrived  at  one  of  the  wooded  hillocks, 
over  which  the  road  passed,  they  were  shut  out  from  any 
very  extended  view5  except  in  one  direction.  Here, 
Andrews  reined  in  his  horse  a  moment,  to  take  a  last 
look  at  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  while  Drysdaie  passed 
on  a  few  yards  in  advance. 

The  spot  was  rather  wild  aud  perhaps  a  little  weird ; 
on  the  right  was  a  dense  forest,  rising  some  distance 
above  the  road,  which  curved  around  the  hill-side  about 
mid-way  \.c  the  crest;  on  the  left  the  hill  descended 
rapidly  to  the  creek,  along  which  ra^  a  neavy  belt  of 
timber,  which  permitted  oniv  an  occasional  gleam  of 
water  to  be  seen  ;  the  abrupt  hill-side  between  the  road 
and  the  timber  was  nearly  cleared  of  undergrowth,  but  it 
was  filled  with  large  boulders  and  creeping  vines ;  over 
the  tops  of  the  timber  the  country  stretched  away  in  dis 
solving  views  as  the  mists  of  night  began  to  form  and 
spread  over  the  landscape.  Having  paused  an  instant, 
Andrews  spurred  his  horse  forward  just  as  Drysdaie 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  norror.  As  he  came  up,  he 
saw  that  Drysdaie  had  stopped  and  was  holding  hit  rein* 


36  PINKER  i"  '<?//  '5  Dti'l  EC '2  JVE  S  y  ORIES. 

in  a  convulsive  grasp ;  all  :olor  was  gone  from  his  face, 
and  he  was  trembling  violently. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Drysdale?"  said  Andrews,  drawing 
np  beside  him. 

"My  God!  look  there!"  broke  from  Drysdale's  ashy 
lips,  as  he  oomted  down  the  hill-side. 

At  the  distance  of  about  fifty  yards  the  figure  of  a  young 
man  was  moving  down  the  slope  toward  the  timber.  He 
walked  slowly  on,  with  a  measured  pace,  turning  his  eyes 
neither  to  the  right  nor  left.  He  was  apparently  about 
twenty-five  or  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  his  face  was 
indicative  or  intelligence,  ability  and  energy.  His  course 
was  nearly  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  road  at  that 
point,  and  only  his  profile  could  be  seen.  He  wore  a 
ousiness  suit  of  light  Tray  clothes,  but  he  had  no  hat  on 
his  head,  and  his  curly  hair  was  tossed  lightly  by  the 
evening  breeze.  As  he  moved  further  from  the  road,  the 
back  of  his  head  was  more  directly  exposed,  presenting  a 
most  ghastly  sight.  The  thick  brown  locks  were  matted 
together  in  a  mass  oi  gore,  and  large  drops  of  blood 
slowly  trickled  down  upon  his  coat ;  the  whole  back  of 
the  skull  seemed  to  be  crushed  in,  while  the  deadly  pallor 
of  his  face  gave  him  the  appearance  of  a  corpse. 

Drysdale  seemed  to  rally  his  faculties  a  moment  and 
shouted  in  powerful  but  hoarse  tones : 

"  Say !  you,  sir !  Who  are  you,  and  where  are  you 
going?" 

Although  his  voice  might  have  been  heard  at  a  long 
distance,  the  figure  continued  its  course  without  indica 
ting,  even  by  a  sign,  that  he  had  heard  the  hail. 

"  Why,  what  in  the  devil  has  got  into  you,  Drvsdaie?" 


THE  D&  i  EC  y '.' ;  A  AS;  *  SOfo  NAfcB,  US  7 .         58 

asked  Andrews.     "  Whom  are  you  shouting  at  in  such  a 
sava*n;  wav?" 

Don't  you  see  that  man  down  the  hill  ?"  he  asked,  in 
a  perfect  agony  oi  fear  and  excitement.  "  See !  right  in 
line  with  that  pointed  rock ;  why,  he  is  only  a  few  yardi; 
off.  My  God !  it  can't  be  possible  that  you  don't  see 
him  i" 

"Upon  my  word,  Drysdale,"  said  Andrews,  "if  you 
keep  on,  I  shall  think  you  arc  going  crazy.  What  man 
are  you  talking  about  ?  There  is  no  one  in  sight,  and 
either  you  are  trying1  tc  nlay  a  joke  on  me,  or  else  your 
imagination  is  most  unpleasantly  active." 

"Andrews,  took  where  I  point,  less  than  ten  rods  off," 
said  Drysdale,  in  r,  hoarse  whisuer,  clutching  Andrews  by 
the  arm ;  "  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  don't  see  a  man 
slowly  walking  toward  the  creek  ?" 

"  I  mean  to  say,"  replied  Andrews,  deliberately,  "  that 
there  is  no  man  in  sight  from  here,  either  on  that  hill-side 
or  any  where  else." 

"  God  help  me,"  muttered  Drysdale,  as  the  figure  disap 
peared  in  the  woods,  "  then  it  must  have  been  a  ghost." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  said  Andrews,  sympathizingly,  as 
they  continued  their  ride,  "  I  am  afraid  you  are  feverish ; 
you  probably  imagined  you  saw  something,  and  you  are 
superstitious  about  the  matter  because  I  did  not  see  it. 
Tell  me  what  it  was." 

By  this  time  they  had  passed  some  distance  beyond 
the  spot  where  Drysdale  had  seen  the  apparition,  and  he 
began  to  recover  his  strength  somewhat.  It  was  evident 
that  he  was  still  very  much  distressed,  but  he  endeavored 
to  pass  the  matter  over. 


CO  p. NKE*  '1 OA  i  jJb  •/  >.C'l    VE  SI  OX1&S. 

"  Oh !  it  was  nothinr  of  any  consequence,"  he  said, 
"but  I  thought  I  saw  a  man  crossing  that  clearing.*' 

"  Well,  what  of  it  ?"  asked  Andrews.  "  Was  he  a  dan 
gerous  looking  fellow  ?" 

"Yes;  very  dangerous  looking,  indeed;"  tnen,  sud 
denly,  as  if  struck  by  a  plausible  idea,  he  added :  "  1 
thought  it  was  a  negro  with  a  gun ;  you  know  what  my 
opinions  are  about  allowing  the  slaves  to  have  fire-arms, 
and  this  fellow  looked  like  such  a  villain  that  I  was  really 
alarmed.  You  are  sure  you  saw  no  one  ?" 

"Quite  sure,"  replied  Andrews.  "I  am  afraid  you 
have  worked  too  hard,  and  that  you  are  going  to  be  ill. 
I  shall  tell  your  wife  to  nurse  vou  well  for  a  few  days  to 
cure  you  of  seeing  spook?  and  wild  niggers  roaming 
'round  with  guns." 

"  No,  indeed,'  said  Drysdale,  hastily ;  "  please  say 
nothing  to  my  wife ;  it  would  only  alarm  her  unneces 
sarily." 

"Well,  take  my  advice  and  rest  awhile,"  said  Andrews. 
"  Your  nerves  are  a  little  shaken,  and  you  will  certainly 
be  ill  if  you  keep  on  working  so  steadily." 

Drysdale  soon  relapsed  into  moody  silence,  and  when 
they  reached  his  pate,  he  was  a  really  oitiable  object. 
He  asked  Andrews  to  take  suoper  with  him,  but  as  the 
invitation  was  given  only  as  a  matter  ot  form,  the  latter 
excused  himselt,  and  rode  immediately  to  the  hotel.  He 
happened  to  meet  Mrs.  Potter  in  the  parlor,  but  he 
stopped  only  a  few  minutes  to  talk  to  her,  as  he  was  too 
hungry  and  tired  to  feel  like  entertaining  the  lascinating 
widow. 

It  was  then  only  about  seven  o  clock,  and  Mrs.  Potter 


THE  DR'lRCTlVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        61 

proposed  to  Mrs.  Townsend,  and  several  other  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  that  they  take  a  walk.  Accordingly,  they 
Strolled  through  the  pleasant  streets,  enjoying  the  balmy 
snring  air,  and  often  stopping  at  the  gates  of  their  friends, 
to  chat  a  few  minutes.  As  they  passed  the  Drysdale 
place,  Mrs.  Potter  said : 

"  I  want  to  run  in  to  speak  to  Mrs.  Drysdale  a  minute; 
I  promised  to  stop  here  on  our  riding  excursion  to-mor 
row,  but  as  it  is  postponed,  I  want  to  tell  her  not  to 
expect  me." 

The  rest  of  the  party  stayed  at  the  gate,  while  Mrs. 
Potter  went  in.  She  was  ushered  into  the  library,  and 
Mrs.  Drysdale  came  down  at  once.  Having  explained 
her  object  in  calling,  Mrs.  Potter  asked  whether  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Drysdale  would  not  join  the  party  outside,  for  a 
short  walk. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  my  husband  is  quite  unwell," 
said  Mrs.  Drysdale.  "  He  returned  from  the  plantation 
to-day,  quite  feverish,  and  excited,  and  now  he  is  in  a 
sort  of  nervous  delirium.  He  has  had  one  or  two  attacks 
before,  but  none  so  serious  as  this." 

"  I  sincerely  hope  he  is  not  going  to  be  ill,"  said  Mrs. 
Potter.  "  What  does  the  doctor  think  ?" 

"  Oh !  he  won't  have  a  doctor,"  replied  Mrs.  Drysdale ; 
**  he  says  that  I  am  the  best  doctor  he  can  have,  because 
I  can  soothe  him." 

lust  then,  Mrs.  Potter  heard  a  heavy  footstep,  begin 
ning  to  pace  up  and  down  overhead. 

"  There,  he  has  arisen,'  said  Mrs.  Drysdale,  "  and  I 
•hall  find  him  pacing  the  room,  and  muttering  to  himself 


it  PINKERTON'S  DE7 ACTIVE  STORIES. 

like  a  crazy  man.  You  must  excuse  me,  as  I  must  go  to 
quiet  him." 

"  Oh,  certainly ;  I  am  sorry  I  called  you  away.  Please 
let  me  know  if  I  can  do  anything  for  you.  I*  Mr. 
Drysdale  should  ie  seriously  ill,  don't  be  afraid  to  call 
upon  me.  I  am  an  excellent  nurse,  and  nothing  would 
give  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  assist  you ;  or,  at  least, 
I  could  look  after  the  children." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Mrs.  Potter,  and  I  shall  be  ?rlad 
to  accept  your  assistance,  especially,  as  the  children  are 
so  fond  of  you ;  however,  I  hope  Aleck's  illness  will  be 
only  temporary." 

Mrs.  Potter  then  withdrew,  and  the  party  slowly 
strolled  back  to  the  hotel. 

As  Mrs.  Drysdale  surmised,  her  husoand's  illness  was 
very  briei,  and  in  two  or  three  days,  he  returned  to  his 
duties  at  the  court  house.  He  was  somewhat  changed 
in  looks,  howevei,  his  face  being  haggard,  his  figure 
slightly  bowed,  and  his  hand  tremulous.  He  seemed, 
more  than  ever  before,  to  avoid  society,  and  on  his  way 
to  the  court  house,  he  always  chose  the  least  frequented 
streets.  The  change  in  his  looks  and  manners,  was 
noticed  only  by  a  few  who  had  iormerly  been  intimate 
with  him;  in  this  little  circle,  his  eccentricities  were 
accounted  lor  by  significant  gestures  of  drinking,  aud  it 
was  understood  among  those  who  knew  him  best,  that 
liquoi  was  resnonsible  for  the  ruin  ot  another  fine  fellow. 

One  peculiarity  that  he  evinced  was,  a  great  partiality 
for  the  society  01  Mr.  Andrews,  and  for  the  next  week, 
they  were  together  every  day.  He  irequently  referred, 
in  conversation  with  Andrews,  to  the  freak  his  imagination 


THE  DEIECTIVb  AND  SOMNAMBULIST,        68 

had  played,  while  returning  from  the  plantation,  and, 
though  Andrews  always  made  light  of  it,  and  laughed  at 
him,  he  evidently  thought  about  it  a  great  deal.  It 
seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  relief  to  him  to  discuss  it  with 
Andrews,  and  so  the  latter  used  to  humor  him  in  it. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

SEVERAL  days  after  Drysdale's  return  from  the  plan 
tation,  Mrs.  Potter  and  several  others,  set  out  for  a 
horseback  ride.  They  enjoyed  the  afternoou  exceedingly, 
and  it  was  growing  dark  before  they  reached  the  town  on 
their  return.  As  the  party  passed  down  the  street  upon 
which  Drysdale  lived,  Mrs.  Potter,  and  another  lady, 
lagged  behind  the  others,  and  the  main  body  were  quite 
a  distance  in  advance.  Mrs.  Potter  suggested  that  they 
put  their  horses  at  lull  speed,  in  order  to  overtake  their 
friends.  Mrs.  Robbins,  her  companion,  assented,  and 
they  dashed  off  together.  The  latter's  horse  was  the 
faster  of  the  two,  nowever,  and  Mrs.  Potter  was  about 
fifty  or  sixtv  'aras  in  the  rear,  when  they  approached  the 
Drysdale  place.  There  was  no  one  in  sight  on  the 
street,  and  there  was  so  much  foliage  on  each  side,  that 
the  road  was  quite  hidden  from  tbe  view  of  tiie  scattered 
houses. 

Suddenly,  Mrs.  Robbins  heard  a  shriek  and  a  fall 
behind  her;  quickly  reining  in  her  horse,  she  turned 
back,  passing  Mrs.  Potter's  riderless  horse  on  the  way. 
She  soon  discovered  Mrs.  Potter  lying  by  the  roadside, 
groaning,  and  n  great  pain.  Mrs.  Robbins  did  not  stop 
to  ask  any  questions ;  she  saw  that  Mrs.  Potter  was  badly 
nurt,  and  she  knew  that  assistance  .iust  be  brought 
instantly.  She  therefore,  galloped  ur  the  drive  to  the 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        Ot 

Drysdale  house,  and  hastily  told  them  what  had  hap 
pened.  In  less  than  three  minutes,  Mr.  Drysdale  had 
improvised  a  stretcher  out  of  a  wicker  settee  and  a 
mattress,  and  had  summoned  four  stout  negroes  to  bring 
it  after  him,  while  he  and  his  wife  hurried  out  to  the 
road.  There  they  found  Mrs.  Potter  and  Mrs.  Robbins 
supporting  her.  She  said  that  she  was  in  great  pain, 
from  severe  contusion,  and  possible  dislocation  of  the 
knee  joint,  and  that  she  had  also  sustained  some  internal 
injuries.  In  a  very  few  minutes,  they  had  tenderly  placed 
her  on  the  settee,  and  carried  her  up  to  the  house.  She 
was  carefully  put  to  bed,  and  Mrs.  Robbins  remounted 
her  horse  to  go  for  a  physician.  The  latter,  on  his 
arrival,  said  that  he  could  hardly  tell  the  extent  of  Mrs. 
Potter's  injuries  at  once,  but  he  thought  they  would  not 
confine  her  to  her  bed  for  more  than  a  week  or  two.  She 
asked  if  she  might  be  removed  to  the  hotel,  as  she  did  not 
wish  to  trespass  on  Mrs.  Drysdale's  hospitality.  Mrs. 
Drysdale,  however,  refused  to  hear  of  such  a  thing  as  the 
removal  of  a  sick  person  from  her  house,  and  she  said 
that  she  should  enjoy  Mrs.  Potter's  society  enough  to 
compensate  for  the  slight  trouble.  It  was  decided,  there 
fore,  that  Mrs.  Potter  should  remain  until  she  was  able  to 
go  without  assistance.  She  improved  very  rapidly,  but 
her  knee  seemed  to  pain  her  considerably,  and  she  spent 
most  of  her  time  in  her  room,  or  on  a  sofa  under  the 
veranda,  whither  her  stout  negro  nurse  used  to  carry 
her. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Mrs.  Potter  was  lying  awake 
in  her  room  at  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.     Mr: 
and  Mrs.  Drysdale's  room  was  next  to  hers,  and  the 
5 


86  PiWJi  AA  TON'S  DE  TECTl  VE  STORIES. 

transom  over  the  connecting  door  was  open,  so  that 
whatever  was  said  in  one  room  could  be  easily  heard  in 
the  other.  Mrs.  Potter  heard  Drysdale  get  up  and  open 
the  blinds  to  let  in  the  morning  sun.  He  had  hardly 
done  so  ere  he  gave  a  sharp  cry  and  sank  into  a  chair. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Drysdale,  in  great 
alarm. 

"Oh,  nothing,"  he  replied;  "I  don't  feel  well." 

"  I  should  think  you  wouldn't,"  said  Mrs.  Drysdale, 
"for  you  have  had  the  nose-bleed  terribly.  Why,  it  is 
all  over  the  pillow  and  floor,  and  leads  out  of  the  door. 
You  must  have  gone  down  stairs." 

"Yes,  yes,"  he  exclaimed,  hastily,  "  I  did  get  up  in  the 
night.  I — I  don't  feel  very  well — I  guess  I  will  lie  down 
again." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?"  asked  his  wife, 
anxiously. 

**  No,  nothing  at  present.  Just  go  right  along  with 
your  household  affairs,  as  usual ;  I  shall  be  all  right  in  a 
short  time." 

Mrs.  Drysdale  saw  that  her  husband  was  nervous  and 
irritable,  and  so  she  dressed  quickly  and  went  down  to 
superintend  her  domestic  duties.  When  Mrs.  Potter's 
breakfast  was  ready,  she  brought  it  up  herself  and  stopped 
a  few  minutes  to  talk. 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  remedy  for  bleeding  at  the  nose 
Mrs.  Potter  ?"  she  asked.  "  My  husband  had  quite  £ 
severe  attack  last  night,  and  he  went  down  on  the  front 
veranda,  and  then  down  the  gravel  walk,  thinking,  I 
suppose,  that  exercise  would  stop  it.  It  must  have  bted 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         07 

frightfully,  for  I  could  see  marks  of  blood  all  the  way 
down  the  path  to  the  gate." 

"  I  suppose  he  let  it  run  instead  of  trying  to  stop  the 
flow,"  replied  Mrs.  Potter.  "  Some  people  think  it  is 
good  for  the  health  occasionally,  and  so  they  allow  the 
nose  to  bleed  as  long  as  it  wants  to." 

After  a  few  more  remarks,  Mrs.  Drysdale  went  down 
itairs  again.  Mrs.  Potter  could  hear  Mr.  Drysdale  tossing 
about  on  the  bed  in  the  next  room,  muttering  to  himself, 
and  occasionally  speaking  aloud  such  expressions  as  — 
"Oh!  this  is  horrible!"  — "What  does  this  mean?"  — 
"  My  God  !  what  could  have  done  it  ?" 

After  a  time  he  became  quieter,  but  he  did  not  leave 
his  room  until  the  afternoon.  Soon  after  he  got  up,  Mr. 
Andrews  called  to  see  him,  having  failed  to  find  him  at 
his  office. 

u  I  thought  you  might  be  sick  and  so  I  dropped  in  to 
see  you,"  he  said. 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  came,"  replied  Drysdale.  "  I 
have  been  a  little  unwell,  and  I  need  some  one  to  cheer 
me  up." 

"  Let  us  take  a  short  walk,"  said  Andrews  ;  "  the  exer 
cise  will  do  you  good." 

As  they  strolled  out,  Andrews  pointed  to  some  blood 
and  said : 

"  Any  one  hurt  in  your  house  ?'* 

"  No — yes  —  that  is,  nothing  serious ;  one  of  my  negroes 
cut  his  hand  this  morning,"  replied  Drysdale,  shuddering. 
"  I  can't  look  at  blood  without  feeling  sick,"  he  explained, 
as  he  saw  that  Andrews  was  wondering  at  his  agitation. 

As  they  continued  their  walk,  Andrews  noticed  that 


ft  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Drysdale  was  very  self-absorbed,  and  so  they  strolled 
down  the  street  without  conversing.  Their  course  took 
them  past  the  bank,  and  as  Mr.  McGregor  was  standing 
on  the  steps  of  the  side  entrance,  he  accosted  them 
heartily. 

"  Why,  how  do  you  do,  gentlemen  ?"  he  asked. 
"Won't  you  walk  in  for  a  few  minutes ?  I  havn't  seen 
you  since  your  illness,  Mr.  Drysdale ;  won't  you  come  in 
and  rest  a  while?" 

On  hearing  McGregor's  salutation,  Drysdale  started  as 
if  stung,  and  trembled  violently.  He  had  been  walking 
along  with  his  eyes  down,  so  that  he  had  not  seen  Mr. 
McGregor  until  spoken  to. 

"No,  thank  you,"  he  replied;  "I  think  I  won't  have 
time  —  that  is,  I  promised  my  wife  to  come  back  soon. 
You  must  excuse  me  this  time." 

He  hurried  on  with  a  nervous  gesture  of  courtesy,  and 
he  did  not  recover  his  calmness  until  some  minutes  after 
ward.  Andrews  accompanied  him  to  his  home,  and  on 
the  way  they  agreed  to  go  to  Drysdale's  plantation  for  a 
short  visit  on  the  following  Monday.  Having  settled 
upon  the  time  for  starting  and  returning,  Andrews 
declined  an  invitation  to  dine  with  Drysdale  that  even 
ing,  and  they  separated.  Andrews  dropped  into  Breed's 
shop  on  his  way  back  to  the  hotel,  and  there  he  found 
young  Green,  the  man  who  had  made  his  book-case. 
They  talked  together  only  a  few  minutes,  and  Andrews 
then  went  to  his  room,  where  he  stayed  the  remainder  of 
the  day. 

On  Monday,  Andrews  and  Drysdale  rode  off  to  the 
plantation  at  daylight,  and  the  latter's  spirits  seemed  to 


THX  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        «f 

lighten  rapidly  after  leaving  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
Atkinson.  In  the  afternoon,  Andrews  took  his  gun  and 
wandered  off  into  the  woods,  but  he  did  not  seem  very 
desirous  of  shooting  anything,  for  he  soon  took  a  position 
whence  he  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  house.  In 
about  half  an  hour,  Drysdale  came  out  and  walked 
slowly  toward  a  small  cluster  of  trees,  about  five  hundred 
yards  from  the  house.  Here,  he  leaned  against  a  tree, 
and  paused  to  look  around  in  every  direction ;  then  he 
began  to  stride  with  a  measured  step  in  a  straight  line. 
When  he  stopped,  he  began  to  examine  the  ground  care 
fully  for  some  minutes,  and  finally,  he  seemed  satisfied 
with  his  inspection,  and  returned  to  the  house. 

During  the  remainder  of  their  stay  at  the  plantation, 
Andrews  and  Drysdale  were  constantly  together,  and  the 
latter  seemed  to  find  the  greatest  pleasure  in  the  former's 
society.  He  frequently  recurred  to  the  subject  of  ghosts 
and  spooks,  and  always  closed  by  discussing  the  char 
acter  of  the  apparition  he  had  seen  on  the  roadside. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  it  had  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  him,  for  he  never  tired  of  talking  about  it.  Andrews 
laughed  at  him,  ridiculed  his  vivid  imagination,  cross- 
questioned  him,  and  reasoned  with  him  upon  the 
absurdity  of  his  hallucination,  but  all  to  no  effect; 
Drysdale  maintained  in  the  most  dogged  manner,  that 
he  had  seen  a  ghost. 

On  Friday,  they  were  to  return  to  Atkinson,  and  in  the 
morning  Andrews  rode  over  to  make  a  short  visit  to  a 
neighbor.  He  was  so  hospitably  entertained,  however, 
that  he  did  not  get  away  until  after  two  o'clock,  and  it 
was  nearly  three  before  they  started  on  their  homeward 


TO  P2NKERTON !>  DETLCT1VE  STOJUJkS. 

ride.  As  before,  it  was  growing  dusky,  when  they  reached 
the  banks  of  Rocky  Creek,  and  Drysdale  was  in  a  state 
of  high  nervous  excitement. 

On  reaching  the  spot  where  Drysdale  had  seen  the 
ghost  before,  he  kept  close  at  Andrews'  side,  and  en- 
deavored  to  appear  unconcerned.  Suddenly,  he  grasped 
Andrews  by  the  arm  with  a  faint  groan,  and  said : 

"Andrews,  look !  look !  for  God's  sake,  tell  me,  don't 
you  see  it  ?" 

As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  toward  the  same  ghastly  object 
which  he  had  seen  before.  There,  right  under  his  eyes, 
passed  the  image  of  the  murdered  George  Gordon. 

"  There,  I  was  afraid  you  would  have  the  same  folly 
again,"  said  Andrews,  soothingly,  as  if  anxious  to  attract 
his  attention  away  from  his  ghostly  friend.  "  What  the 
devil  is  the  matter  with  you  ?" 

"Tell  me,  tell  me,  Andrews,"  gasped  Drysdale,  in  such 
terror  that  his  parched  throat  and  quivering  lips  could 
hardly  pronounce  the  words ;  "can't  you  see  that  horrible 
man  close  to  the  fence,  walking  toward  the  creek  ?" 

"  I  tell  you,  my  dear  fellow,"  replied  Andrews,  earnestly, 
"  that  you  are  laboring  under  a  most  unpleasant  halluci 
nation.  There  is  absolutely  no  person,  or  any  moving 
object  in  sight,  except  you  and  me." 

At  this  moment,  the  sound  of  approaching  hoof-beats 
could  be  plainly  heard,  and  Drysdale  turned  his  head  to 
look  back  in  the  direction  whence  they  came.  On  look 
ing  for  the  ghost  again,  it  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"  Andrews,  it  is  gone — the  earth  has  swallowed  if  up," 
he  said. 

He  would  have  fallen  from  his  horse,  if  Andrews  had 


DEJECTiVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        U 

not  caught  him  around  the  waist,  and  just  as  he  did  so, 
Mr.  Breed  and  Mr.  O'Fallon,  the  station  agent,  rode  up, 
one  on  each  side  of  them. 

"What's  the  matter  with  Mr.  Drysdale?"  asked 
O'Fallon. 

"  Didn't  you  see  it  ?  Tell  me — did  the  ghost  pass  you  ?** 
Drysdale  queried  eagerly,  turning  toward  the  new  comers. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  What  do  you  mean  by 
'the  ghost?' "  asked  Mr.  Breed,  in  great  wonderment. 

"  The  ghost,  I  say — did  neither  of  you  see  a  horrible 
figure  pass  out  of  sight  suddenly,  toward  the  creek 
yonder?" 

"I  saw  nothing,  Mr.  Drysdale,"  said  O'Fallon;  "did 
you,  Breed?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know  what  Mr.  Drysdale  means  by  a 
ghost,"  said  Breed,  deliberately ;  "  but  I  think  I  did  see 
something  down  there.  I  couldn't  say  what  it  looked 
like.  Why  do  you  call  it  a  ghost,  Mr.  Drysdale  ?" 

"  Because  I  have  seen  it  twice  close  to  me,  and  Mr. 
Andrews  has  not  been  able  to  see  it  at  all,"  replied  Drys 
dale  with  great  difficulty.  "  I  began  to  think  it  must  have 
been  imagination  on  my  part,  but  now,  that  you  have  seen 
it,  I  know  that  it  was  a  ghost." 

Drysdale  was  so  helpless,  that  it  was  necessary  for  one 
gentleman  to  ride  on  each  side  of  him  to  hold  him  in  his 
saddle.  On  arriving  at  his  place,  they  helped  him  into  the 
house,  and  left  him  in  charge  of  his  wife.  He  imme 
diately  went  to  bed,  and  during  the  night,  he  suffered  a 
great  deal.  Mrs.  Potter  heard  him  groaning,  tossing,  and 
muttering  until  nearly  daylight. 

The  story  of  the  ghost  was  soon  freely  circulated  by 


'S  DETECTIVE  STOAI&3. 

O'Fallon  and  Breed,  though  they  could  not  describe  the 
apparition  at  all.  Still,  it  created  quite  an  excitement, 
and  the  results  were  not  very  beneficial  to  the  neighbor 
hood,  for  the  reason  that  no  negro  could  be  induced  to 
pass  along  that  part  of  the  road  after  dark ;  indeed,  there 
were  a  great  many  educated  white  people  who  would  not 
ride  past  the  spot  alone  on  a  dark  night. 

Drysdale  was  confined  to  his  room  for  several  days, 
during  which  time  he  received  no  visitors  except  Andrews. 
It  was  curious  to  observe  what  a  strong  preference  he 
showed  for  his  new-found  friend. 

Just  at  this  time  I  decided  to  re-visit  Atkinson  myself, 
and  on  my  arrival  there  I  had  a  long  interview  with 
Messrs.  Ballantine,  McGregor,  and  Gordon.  I  explained 
to  them  all  the  steps  I  had  taken,  and  they  learned  to 
their  great  astonishment  that  Mr.  Andrews,  Mrs.  Potter, 
and  Mr.  Green  were  my  detectives.  The  ghost  was 
Green,  whose  resemblance  to  young  Gordon  was  a  great 
aid  in  carrying  out  the  scheme.  Mrs.  Potter  had  volun 
tarily  fallen  from  her  horse  in  order  to  get  herself  carried 
into  Drysdale's  house,  and  it  was  she  who  sprinkled  the 
blood  over  Drysdale's  clothing  and  down  the  walk.  After 
settling  all  our  plans,  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  where  I  was 
easily  able  to  obtain  a  private  interview  with  Mr.  Andrews 
and  Mr.  Green. 

I  gave  full  instructions  to  Andrews,  and  he  informed 
Mrs.  Potter  of  my  wishes,  at  the  same  time  conveying  to 
her  another  large  bottle  of  blood. 


CBAPTLR    VII, 

ABOUT  one  o'clock  that  night  Mrs.  Potter  rose, 
quietly  dressed  herself,  and  stealthily  left  the  house. 
She  walked  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  creek  and  began 
to  drop  blood  from  her  bottle.  She  spilled  small  portion* 
of  it  all  the  way  back  to  the  house,  up  the  front  walk,  in 
the  hall,  and  finally,  slipping  into  Drysdale's  room,  she 
scattered  the  crimson  drops  on  his  pillow.  She  then 
retired  to  bed. 

When  she  awoke  in  the  morning,  she  found  Mrs.  Drvs- 
dale  in  a  very  uneasy  state  of  mind.  She  said  that  her 
husband  had  again  been  attacked  by  bleeding  at  the  nose, 
and  that  he  was  quite  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood  Mrs. 
Potter  deeply  sympathized  with  Mrs.  Drysdale,  but  she 
could  assist  her  only  by  kind  and  consoling  words. 

The  family  had  hardly  finished  their  breakfast  when  a 
number  of  the  neighbors  came  in  in  a  high  state  of 
excitement.  They  said  that  blood  had  been  discovered 
en  the  grass  near  where  the  ghost  had  been  seen,  and 
that  quite  a  crowd  had  gathered  around  it.  They  had 
found  other  blood-marks  at  intervals  along  the  road,  and 
on  following  the  direction  in  which  they  traveled,  it  was 
found  that  they  led  straight  to  Drysdale's  house.  The 
question  now  arose,  did  the  wounded  person  go  from  the 
house  to  the  creek,  or  vice  versa.  Drysdale  was  terribly 
•xcited  on  learning  of  the  discovery,  and  he  was  soon  ia 


14        MJVjr&JtroAr's  DETECTIVE  STO&IES. 

a  species  of  delirium.  It  was  known  that  he  was  quite 
sick,  so  that  the  neighbors  soon  withdrew.  Many  thought 
that  the  blood  was  that  of  a  burglar  or  negro  sneak-thief, 
who  might  have  gone  to  Drysdale's  house  to  steal,  but 
who  had  been  frightened  off  before  he  had  secured  any 
plunder.  The  blood  might  have  been  from  an  old  hurt. 
Others,  more  superstitiously  inclined,  believed  that  the 
ghost  was  in  some  way  responsible  for  the  blood.  No 
one  was  able  to  solve  the  mystery,  however,  and  it  added 
to  the  terror  with  which  the  ghost  story  had  inspired  the 
negroes. 

Drysdale  was  now  confined  to  his  bed,  and  he  would 
see  no  one  except  his  wife  and  Andrews.  He  insisted 
that  he  was  not  sick,  but  only  run  down  by  overwork,  and 
so  refused  to  have  a  doctor.  Andrews'  influence  over  him 
was  greater  than  that  of  any  one  else,  and  it  was  plain  that 
the  latter  had  completely  secured  his  confidence.  As  I 
now  felt  convinced  that  Drysdale  would  surely  confess  in 
a  short  time,  I  returned  to  Chicago,  leaving  the  whole 
charge  of  the  operation  with  Andrews. 

A  few  nights  later  Mrs.  Potter  was  troubled  with  the 
tooth-ache,  and  she  lay  awake  most  of  the  night.  Sud 
denly  she  heard  footsteps  in  Drysdale's  room,  and  then 
she  saw  Drysdale  pass  her  window  on  the  veranda.  He 
was  dressed  in  slippers  and  night-dress,  and  his  actions 
were  so  strange  that  she  determined  to  follow  him.  Has 
tily  putting  on  some  dark  clothes,  she  hurried  cautiously 
after  him.  The  night  was  clear  with  no  moon,  and  she 
was  able  to  distinguish  his  white  figure  at  a  considerable 
distance.  He  walked  rapidly  to  the  creek  and  followed 
its  windings  a  short  distance;  then  he  paused  a  few 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         7ft 

minutes,  as  if  reflecting.  This  enabled  Mrs.  Potter  to 
hide  herself  near  by  in  some  undergrowth,  whence  she 
could  watch  him  more  carefully.  To  her  great  astonish 
ment,  she  saw  him  walk  into  the  creek  at  a  shallow  spot, 
and  begin  wading  up  against  the  current.  Very  soon  he 
stopped  and  leaned  over  with  his  hands  in  the  water,  as 
if  he  were  feeling  for  something.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
came  out  of  the  stream,  on  the  opposite  side  from  that 
am  which  he  had  entered,  and  took  a  path  to  a  foot 
bridge  leading  across  the  creek  toward  his  house.  At 
soon  as  she  saw  that  he  was  on  his  way  back,  she  has 
tened  home  as  rapidly  as  possible,  arriving  there  only  a 
few  seconds  before  him. 

The  next  morning,  Drysdale  appeared  at  the  breakfast 
table  for  the  first  time,  in  several  days.  He  remarked 
that  he  felt  much  better,  but  he  said  nothing  of  his 
midnight  walk,  nor  did  his  wife,  as  she  had  slept  in  a 
separate  room ;  however,  she  was  probably  ignorant 
of  it. 

Neither  Mrs.  Potter,  nor  Mr.  Andrews  could  imagine 
what  Drysdale's  object  was  in  making  his  pilgrimage  to 
the  creek  at  that  time  of  night,  especially  as  he  had 
always  shown  the  greatest  aversion  to  that  vicinity,  ever 
since  he  had  first  seen  the  ghost.  I  was  equally  puzzled 
when  I  was  informed  of  his  freak,  but  I  determined  to 
make  use  of  the  incident,  in  case  he  should  do  the  same 
thing  again.  I  therefore  instructed  Andrews  to  have 
Green  watch  the  house  every  night,  dressed  in  his  appa 
rition  suit.  He  was  then  to  "  shadow  "  Drysdale,  when 
the  latter  went  out,  and  if  a  favorable  opportunity  should 


76  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

present  itself,  he  was  to  appear  before  him  in  full  view  in 
the  role  of  the  ghost. 

By  this  time,  Drysdale  had  recovered  sufficiently,  to 
attend  to  his  office  duties,  but  he  always  seemed  anxious 
to  have  Andrews  with  him.  Andrews  had  talked  very 
encouragingly  to  him,  showed  a  good  deal  of  sympathy, 
and  thus,  they  had  became  quite  confidential  friends. 
He,  therefore,  assured  Drysdale  that  he  should  be  happy 
to  give  him  as  much  of  his  company,  as  possible,  if  it 
would  afford  Drysdale  any  pleasure. 

"You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Andrews,"  said  Drysdale; 
"  you  may  think  it  strange,  but  I  feel  a  sense  of  relief, 
when  I  am  with  you,  especially  lately.  I  wonder  if  I 
shall  ever  be  better,"  he  mused  plaintively. 

"  Why,  certainly ;  we  hope  for  your  speedy  recovery," 
said  Andrews,  cheerfully.  "  You  let  trivial  matters  prey 
on  your  mind,  and  you  must  stop  it,  for  your  health  will 
not  stand  it." 

"Well,  I  shall  try,"  responded  Drysdale  feebly. 

One  evening,  Mrs.  Drysdale  was  sitting  at  Mrs.  Potter's 
side,  waiting  for  her  husband's  return.  By  this  time,  Mrs. 
Potter  was  able  to  sit  up,  and  even  to  move  about  the 
room  somewhat. 

"  My  husband  is  failing  in  health,  I  fear,"  said  Mrs. 
Drysdale. 

"  I  am  afraid  so,  too,"  replied  Mrs.  Potter,  "  and  I  feel 
sorry  to  think  that  I  am  a  burden  upon  you  at  the  same 
time ;  but,  I  hope  to  be  well  soon,  and  then  I  will  help 
you  take  care  of  him." 

"  You  have  been  no  burden,  whatever,  Mrs.  Potter ;  on 
the  contrary,  your  company  has  been  a  great  comfort  to 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        TT 

me.  But,  I  was  thinking,  that  if  my  husband  would  try 
a  change  of  air  and  life,  it  would  be  a  great  help  to  him. 
I  should  miss  him  sadly,  but  I  would  make  any  sacrifice 
to  see  him  restored  to  health." 

At  the  tea  table  Mrs.  Drysdale  said : 

"  I  was  just  speaking  to  Mrs.  Potter  about  your  health, 
Aleck,  and  I  thought  that  if  you  would  go  away  for  a 
time,  the  change  of  scenery,  and  habits  of  life,  would  be 
very  advantageous.  Why  don't  you  go  down  to  New 
Orleans  with  Mr.  Andrews  ?  He  is  always  talking  of 
going  there,  but  he  is  too  lazy  to  start.  You  could  both 
enjoy  yourselves  very  much,  and  I  know  it  would  do  you 
good.  You  would  return  as  healthy  and  happy  as  you 
always  used  to  be." 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  going  there,  or  to  some  other 
place,"  said  Drysdale,  "but  I  can't  leave  just  now.  I 
think  a  trip  would  do  me  good,  and  as  soon  as  I  feel  able 
to  do  so,  I  will  get  Andrews  to  go  with  me." 

Nothing  of  interest  occurred  for  several  days.  Green 
kept  a  close  watch  every  night,  but  Drysdale  did  not 
appear.  Andrews  got  Drysdale  to  go  out  hunting  with 
him  twice,  but  each  time,  Drysdale  succeeded  in  arriving 
at  home  before  dark.  Green  had  kept  up  his  vigils  for 
over  a  week,  and  he  began  to  think  there  was  no  use  in 
them.  One  night,  however,  as  he  lay  behind  a  bush, 
watching  the  house,  he  was  suddenly  aware  of  a  white 
figure  gliding  noiselessly  by  him.  Forewarned,  though 
he  was,  the  ghostly  stillness  with  which  it  moved,  gave 
him  quite  a  severe  fright,  before  he  recollected  that  it 
was  Drysdale.  He  immediately  followed  the  figure  and 
noted  his  every  movement.  In  the  same  way,  as  he  had 


II  PINKERTQN-s  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

done  at  first,  he  now  proceeded,  and  after  walking  up  the 
stream  a  short  distance,  he  reached  down,  felt  for  some 
thing  at  the  bottom,  and  then  came  out.  As  he  slowly 
walked  home,  he  passed  within  a  few  feet  of  Green,  who 
made  a  considerable  noise  to  attract  his  attention  ;  but, 
Drysdale  passed  straight  on,  looking  neither  to  the  right 
nor  left,  and  Green  was  unable  to  play  ghost  for  the  lack 
of  an  audience. 

Green's  account  was  the  exact  counterpart  of  Mrs. 
Potter's,  and  I  was  puzzled  to  account  for  this  new  move. 
As  I  sat  in  my  office,  in  Chicago,  with  Green's  report 
before  me,  the  idea  flashed  into  my  mind,  that  possibly 
some  of  the  stolen  money  was  hidden  at  the  bottom  of 
the  creek.  Recollecting  the  gold  pieces,  which  had  been 
found  on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  I  surmised  that  the 
remainder  of  the  gold  was  buried  somewhere  in  the  bed 
of  the  stream.  I  had  no  doubt  of  the  eventual  recovery 
of  all  the  money,  and  so  I  decided  to  let  that  matter  rest 
until  I  had  complete  evidence  of  Drysdale's  guilt. 

A  few  days  after  the  midnight  walk,  Drysdale  invited 
Andrews  to  make  another  visit  to  the  plantation,  saying, 

"  My  overseer  sends  me  word  that  he  needs  a  great 
many  things,  and  I  think  I  had  better  go  out  to  see  what 
is  wanted,  myself.  I  would  like  to  have  you  go  with  me, 
for,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  am  almost  afraid  to  go  alone." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad,  indeed,  to  go  ;  when  shall  we 


"  Let  us  start  Monday,  ana  return  Friday,  as  before," 
.  plied  Drysdale. 

"Very  well,"  said  Andrews.     "1  shall    be  ready  on 
time." 


THE  DETECTS  &  AND  SOMNAMBUUS'l .         7* 

At  the  first  opportunity,  Andrews  informed  Green  of 
their  intended  visit,  and  told  him  that  in  order  to  insure 
the  success  of  their  plan,  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  ride 
out  to  the  plantation,  also,  on  Wednesday  or  Thursday. 
He  could  thus  be  on  hand  in  his  ghostly  capacity  whenever 
wanted.  Green  promised  to  be  at  a  certain  spot,  near 
the  plantation,  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  to  receive  in 
structions  from  Andrews,  and  all  their  arrangements  were 
then  completed. 

Andrews  took  breakfast  with  Drysdale  before  startiug, 
Monday  morning,  and  at  table,  Mrs.  Drysdale  said : 

*  Aleck,  Mrs.  Potter  is  so  far  recovered,  that  I  guess  we 
shall  drive  out  to  the  plantation  on  Wednesday  or  Thurs 
day,  and  spend  a  day  or  two  with  you." 

"That  will  be  delightful,"  replied  Urysdale,  "and  we 
shall  look  for  you  with  great  pleasure." 

"Well,  if  *.ne  ladies  are  coming  at  that  time,  I  hope 
they  will  brng  our  mail,  for  I  expect  an  important  letter," 
said  Andrews. 

"Oh,  certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Drysdale;  "and,  if  anything 
should  prevent  us  from  coming,  1  will  send  your  letters  by 
a  servant." 

Andrews  had  written  to  me  of  the  intended  visit  to  the 
plantation,  and  he  was  anxious  to  receive  any  instructions 
I  might  send,  betore  he  returned  to  town. 

The  two  gentlemen  mounted  their  horses  and  cantered 
off.  Drysdale  apjpeared  in  better  spirits  than  at  any  time 
for  several  wests,  and  by  the  time  they  reached  the  plan 
tation,  he  was  quite  gay  and  cheertul.  He  had  a  great 
deal  to  attend  to,  and  Andrews  gave  him  very  consider 
able  assistance.  Thev  were  kept  quite  constantly  busy 


80  PJNKhRTON'S   DETECTIVE  STOXIES. 

until  Wednesday  noon,  when  Mrs.  Drysdale  and  Mrs. 
Potter  arrived  in  a  carriage,  bringing  the  mail.  As 
Andrews  had  expected,  there  was  a  letter  for  him, 
in  which  I  instructed  him  to  have  Green  appear  to 
Drysdale,  in  the  small  grove  of  trees,  where  he  had 
acted  so  queerly  during  their  last  visit.  From  Drysdale's 
manner  in  this  grove,  I  had  concluded  that  some  of  the 
money  was  buried  there,  and  I  therefore,  considered  it  a 
good  place  for  the  ghost  to  appear. 

On  reading  my  letter,  Andrews  remarked  that  he  should 
be  obliged  to  go  to  Atkinson,  to  send  a  telegram,  as  his 
letter  required  an  immediate  answer,  but  that  he  should 
return  the  same  evening.  This,  of  course,  was  only  an 
excuse  to  get  away  to  meet  Green,  and  so  his  horse  was 
brought  up  at  once,  and  he  rode  away.  Green  was 
punctual  at  the  rendezvous,  and  Andrews  gave  him  full 
instructions ;  he  was  to  remain  in  sight  of  the  house,  on 
the  side  near  the  little  grove  of  trees,  until  an  opportunity 
should  occur  to  appear  before  Drysdale.  Andrews  then 
took  a  long  ride  over  the  country,  so  as  to  delay  his  return 
to  the  plantation  until  after  dark.  During  the  evening, 
Mrs.  Potter  told  him  that  Drysdale  had  visited  the  little 
grove  that  afternoon,  but  she  was,  of  course,  unable  to 
follow  him. 

The  next  evening,  after  supper,  Andrews  proposed 
taking  a  short  walk,  and  they  all  started  out  together. 
By  chance,  they  took  the  direction  of  the  little  grove, 
previously  mentioned,  and  they  were  all  in  fine  spirits. 
Mrs.  Potter,  however,  was  obliged  to  walk  very  slowly, 
owing  to  her  injured  knee,  and  Mrs.  Drysdale  kept  her 
company;  the  two  gentlemen  were,  therefore,  some  dis- 


'.  tih   />A  -<  -r  -,  i  'A  I  £•  AND  ^OM  A  fijh  n  c  Ll±  1 .          5ft 

lance  in  the  advance,  when  they  reacaed  the  edge  o.  the 
grove.  Drysdale  had  been  unusually  cheerful  until  then, 
but  as  they  entered  the  shadow,  he  began  to  lose  his 
gayety,  as  if  something  disagreeable  had  been  suggested 
to  him.  It  was  now  approaching  twilight,  and  he  tumed 
toward  Andrews  half  pettishly,  and  said : 

"Don't  rjo  into  that  dismal  place;  let  us  stay  out  in 
the  open  walk.  I  never  like  to  go  into  such " 

The  words  died  on  his  tongue,  and  he  nearly  fell  down 
from  fright.  There,  crossing  their  path  in  the  sombre 
shades  of  the  grove,  was  that  terrible  spectre  with  its 
ghastly  face,  measured  step,  and  clotted  hair.  It  passed 
into  the  deep  recesses  of  the  grove,  while  Drysdale 
watched  it  like  a  condemned  criminal.  As  it  moved  out 
of  sight,  he  fell  to  the  ground  like  a  dead  man,  and 
Andrews  called  for  help.  Mrs.  Drysdale  hurried  up  in 
great  alarm,  and  took  her  husband's  head  in  her  lap, 
while  Mrs.  Potter  chafed  his  hands  and  held  her  vinai 
grette  to  his  nostrils.  Mr.  Andrews  quickly  called  some 
negroes  from  the  house,  and  they  carried  their  uncon 
scious  master  to  his  room.  He  was  soon  restored  to  his 
senses,  but  he  was  in  a  pitiable  condition.  The  least 
sound  made  him  start  like  a  person  in  the  delirium 
trftnens,  and  he  muttered  to  himself  constantly.  Finally 
he  caught  Andrews  by  the  hand  and  sau  : 

"Andrews,  didn't  you  see  that  horrible  gho^t?" 

44  No,  indeed ;  I  saw  no  ghost,"  replied  Andrews. 
"  Did  either  of  you  see  it  ?"  he  continued,  turning  to  the 
ladies. 

They  both  answered  negatively. 
6 


82  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE   STORIES. 

"  If  there  really  had  been  such  a  thing  we  certainly 
should  have  seen  it,"  said  Mrs.  Potter. 

"  Well,  I  know  that  I  saw  it,  and  it  is  terrible  to  think 
that  I  should  be  the  only  one  to  whom  this  thing  appears," 
said  Drysdale. 

Andrews  handed  him  a  drink  of  brandy,  which 
revived  his  strength  a  great  deal,  and  he  again  began  to 
talk  about  the  ghost. 

"I  can't  understand,  Andrews,  why  you  didn't  see  it," 
he  said;  "it  passed  within  fifty  feet  of  us,  and  it  was 
truly  terrible." 

"  It  is  certainly  very  strange,"  replied  Andrews.  "  Here 
are  three  persons  that  did  not  see  it,  yet  you  insist  that 
you  did.  What  did  it  look  like?  You  have  never  yet 
described  it  to  me." 

Drysdale  made  no  reply,  but  a  look  of  renewed  dread 
came  over  his  face,  and  he  reached  for  more  brandy, 
which  was  given  him. 

"It  surely  must  be  some  disease  of  the  brain,"  said 
Mrs.  Drysdale,  tearfully,  "  for  he  frequently  imagines  that 
he  sees  strange  sights,  and  I  am  afraid  to  think  what  will 
happen.  If  he  would  only  go  to  some  watering-place, 
and  put  himself  under  the  care  of  a  reliable  physi 
cian,  he  would  soon  get  better." 

"  The  doctors  can  do  me  no  good,  my  dear,"  he  said 
controlling  himself  by  a  great  effort ;  "  do  not  be  alarmed, 
but  let  me  go  to  sleep  for  a  while  and  I  shall  be  better." 

Mr.  Andrews  and  Mrs.  Potter  left  the  room  in  a  few 
minutes,  as  Mr.  Drysdale  evidently  wished  to  be  left 
alone.  They  had  ample  opportunity  for  consultation, 
and  they  decided  that  Green  had  better  stay  near  by  all 
night,  to  watch  the  house  and  the  grove. 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST,         88 

"If  that  is  to  be  done,"  said  Mrs.  Potter,  "  I  will  go 
and  put  up  a  lunch  which  you  can  take  to  him,  since  if 
he  is  to  remain  out  there  all  night,  he  will  not  be  able  to 
get  anything  to  eat,  and  you  know  that  a  hungry  ghost 
cannot  do  as  well  as  one  which  is  well  fed." 

She  soon  prepared  a  large  lunch,  and  added  to  it  a 
small  bottle  of  wine,  which  she  gave  to  Andrews.  He 
immediately  hastened  out  to  the  grove,  and  found  Green 
at  a  point  where  they  had  agreed  to  meet.  He  gave  the 
food  to  Green,  and  told  him  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the 
house  all  night ;  in  case  of  anything  occurring  he  was  to 
tap  on  the  window  of  Andrews'  room,  which  was  on  the 
ground  floor.  Andrews  then  returned  to  the  house,  leav 
ing  Green  to  eat  his  lunch,  drink  his  wine  and  keep  watch. 

The  night  was  damp  and  warm,  and  the  insects  were 
particularly  active,  so  that  Green's  duty  was  none  of  the 
pleasantest.  The  hours  slipped  wearily  by  until  after 
midnight,  when  he  saw  a  white  figure  emerge  from  the 
house  and  approach  the  little  grove.  He  hastily  gained 
an  open  spot  where,  in  the  bright  starlight,  he  could  be 
plainly  seen,  and,  as  Drysdale  advanced,  he  slowly 
paced  toward  him.  To  Green's  astonishment,  Drysdale 
passed  within  two  feet  of  him  without  noticing  his  pres 
ence  in  any  way ;  they  passed  so  close  to  each  other  that 
Green  was  forced  to  step  to  one  side,  yet  Drysdale 
walked  slowly  on  until  he  reached  the  grove.  Here  he 
walked  around  a  moment  or  two  and  then  returned  to  the 
house.  Green  immediately  tapped  on  Andrews'  window 
and  related  what  had  occurred.  There  being  no  new 
developments,  Green  returned  to  the  wood  where  he  had 
picketed  his  horse,  and  then  rode  back  to  Atkinson 


CHAPTER     VIII. 

I  ]7RIDAY  morning  Drysdale  appeared  at  breakfast 
-1-  and  tried  to  appear  natural  and  at  ease.  He  spoke 
of  his  peculiar  hallucination,  but  his  remarks  were 
simply  repetitions  of  those  he  had  frequently  made 
before.  Andrews  again  requested  him  to  describe  the 
appearance  of  the  spectre,  but  Drysdale  seemed  averse 
to  continuing  the  conversation  on  that  subject,  and  so  it 
was  dropped. 

Immediately  after  dinner  they  started  for  Atkinson,  the 
gentlemen  on  horseback,  and  the  ladies  in  the  carriage. 
As  Andrews  could  offer  no  plausible  excuse  for  detaining 
them,  Mrs.  Potter  was  obliged  to  try  what  she  could  do. 
By  making  two  calls  on  acquaintances  living  along  the 
road,  she  was  enabled  to  keep  back  their  arrival  much 
later  than  Drysdale  liked,  though  not  late  enough  for  her 
purpose.  It  was  too  early  to  have  Green  appear,  as  there 
were  sc  many  people  traveling  on  the  road  that  he  might 
be  seen  by  others  and  the  trick  exposed. 

It  was  quite  evident  that  Drysdale  was  in  a  miserable 
condition.  He  was  sure  that  he  had  seen  the  ghost  of 
George  Gordon,  and  he  was  in  a  state  of  momentary 
dread  and  suspense.  He  had  entertained  thoughts  of 
leaving  the  place,  but  he  dared  not.  Like  Eugene  Aram, 
he  pictured  himself  as  continually  haunted  by  the  spirit 
of  hie  victim,  and  he  feared  lest  others  should  sec  it,  and 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        8ft 

accuse  him  of  the  murder.  His  health  failed  rapidly; 
his  form  was  emaciated,  his  cheeks  hollow,  his  eyes 
haggard  and  sunken.  It  was  clearly  only  a  question  of 
time  how  soon  he  confessed  or  went  insane. 

Green  continued  his  night  watches  about  the  house, 
and  again  one  night  Drysdale  passed  out  to  the  creek 
and  acted  as  before.  This  time,  however,  he  had  his 
clothes  on,  and  as  he  passed  Green  at  arms  length,  it 
seemed  almost  incredible  that  he  should  have  failed  to 
see  him.  Green  took  particular  pains  to  identify  the 
exact  spot  where  Drysdale  had  searched  in  the  water, 
and  he  marked  it  carefully  by  placing  a  stone  on  each 
side  of  the  bank  opposite  where  Drysdale  had  stopped. 

The  following  night  Mrs.  Potter  got  up  and  went  into 
Drysdale's  room,  where  he  was  sleeping  alone.  She  then 
dropped  some  blood  on  his  pillow,  on  the  floor,  and 
around  the  bed.  Then  passing  out,  she  left  the  trail  as 
before  from  the  house  toward  Rocky  Creek.  Drysdale 
was  horrified  early  next  morning  when  he  saw  the  blood 
stains  He  groaned  piteously  as  he  walked  about  the 
room,  and  then  followed  the  spots  out  to  the  front  gate. 
On  seeing  that  they  continued  beyond  this,  he  came  back 
with  a  most  dejected  and  helpless  look.  Mrs.  Potter  saw 
him  go  into  his  room,  and,  by  looking  through  the  key 
hole  of  the  connecting  door,  she  was  enabled  to  see  that 
he  was  engaged  in  washing  out  the  spots  on  the  floor  and 
bed  clothes.  He  did  not  appear  at  the  breakfast  table, 
bu  his  wife  told  Mrs.  Potter  that  he  had  had  another 
severe  attack  of  bleeding  during  the  night,  and  that  he 
was  very  weak  in  consequence. 

During  the  forenoon  Mrs.  Potter  went  in  to  see  Mr. 


86  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Drysdale,  whom  she  found  in  great  distress  physically  and 
mentally.  He  was  anxious  to  see  Mr.  Andrews,  and  his 
wife  sent  a  message  to  the  hotel  at  once.  In  about  an 
hour  Andrews  came  in. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  find  you  feeling  so  bad  this  morning," 
he  said.  "You  were  looking  quite  well  last  evening. 
What  is  the  trouble  ?  Wouldn't  you  like  me  to  go  for  a 
doctor  ?" 

"  No,  thank  you ;  I  shall  get  along  better  without 
physic,"  replied  Drysdale.  "  I  was  feeling  unusually  well 
last  evening,  but  I  had  a  severe  attack  of  bleeding  last 
night,  and  I  am  very  weak." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?"  asked  Andrews. 

"  Well,  yes ;  there  are  some  papers  in  my  office  that 
should  be  sent  to  Captain  Rowland,  a  planter  in  the  west 
end  of  the  county,  and  as  it  is  important  that  they  should 
be  delivered  soon,  I  should  be  greatly  obliged  if  you 
would  get  them  and  send  them  off." 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  said  Andrews;  "where  shall  I 
find  them  ?" 

"  They  are  in  the  left-hand  pigeon-hole  of  my  upright 
desk,  in  the  office,  and  you  can  send  them  by  Dan. 
Marston,  who  lives  near  the  court-house ;  he  is  very 
faithful  and  trustworthy.  Any  one  can  tell  you  where  to 
find  him." 

"Oh,  I  know  Dan.,"  said  Andrews,  "he  has  done 
several  errands  for  me.  Where  are  your  keys  ?" 

"  They  are  on  the  bureau,  yonder ;  but,  Andrews,  I 
wish  you  would  come  back  after  you  have  sent  the 
papers.  I  always  feel  better  when  I  hear  you  talking; 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         87 

when  I  am  alone  I  keep  thinking  about  that  spirit,  and  I 
tell  you  it  is  terrible.     You  will  come  back,  won't  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  certainly,  I  shall  be  glad  to  keep  you  company 
while  you  are  under  the  weather." 

When  Andrews  started  off  with  the  keys,  a  sudden 
thought  flashed  into  his  mind,  and  he  first  went  to  his  room, 
where  he  obtained  some  blood,  of  which  he  had  quite  a 
supply.  He  then  went  to  Drysdale's  private  office  and 
dropped  some  blood  on  the  desk,  chairs  and  floor,  and 
also  on  the  wrapper  of  Captain  Rowland's  papers.  He 
was  well  known  to  the  deputy  clerk,  and  so  no  one 
questioned  his  right  to  go  to  Drysdale's  desk.  On  leaving 
the  private  office,  he  locked  the  door,  and  hurried  back 
to  Drysdale's  house  with  the  papers.  He  entered  Drys 
dale's  room  in  an  excited  manner,  and  said  : 

"  Why,  Drysdale,  you  must  have  been  bleeding  at  the 
office,  for  there  is  blood  on  your  chairs,  desk,  and  on  these 
papers;  look  there  !" 

As  he  spoke,  he  held  out  the  package  with  its  dull 
crimson  stain.  The  shock  was  too  much  for  Drysdale, 
and  he  fainted  away  instantly.  It  was  sometime  before 
he  revived,  but  finally,  he  was  able  to  talk  again. 

"Please  take  the  wrapper  off  those  papers,"  he  said 
feebly,  "  and  put  them  into  another.  They  are  copies  of 
papers  in  a  law  case  now  in  court,  and  I  would  not  like 
them  to  go  out  in  that  condition." 

Andrews  agreed  to  fix  them  all  neat  and  clean  before 
sending  them,  and  he  then  went  out  to  attend  to  it.  On 
his  way  down  town,  he  met  Mr.  McGregor,  to  whom  he 
related  what  he  had  done,  and  its  effect. 

*'  Mr.  McGregor,"  he  continued,  "  I  think  it  would  b« 


86  UNKERTON'S  DETECTIVE 

a  good  idea  to  sprinkle  some  blood  in  the  bank,  on  the 
floor,  and  on  the  desk,  where  young  Gordon  used  to 
stand ;  also,  to  put  some  blood  and  hair  on  the  canceling 
hammer.  Do  this  in  the  evening,  and  arrange  to  have 
some  one  enter  the  bank  with  you  in  the  morning;  then, 
the  story  will  be  circulated  until  Drysdale  will  hear  it, 
and  it  may  have  a  powerful  effect  upon  him.  I  think  Mr. 
Pinkerton  would  approve  the  plan,  if  he  were  here." 

Mr.  McGregor  thought  favorably  of  the  suggestion,  and 
he  agreed  to  act  upon  it,  as  soon  as  possible.  Andrews 
then  went  back  to  Drysdale's  office,  wiped  up  the  blood 
spots,  and  put  Captain  Rowland's  papers  into  a  new 
wrapper.  Having  sent  them  off,  he  returned  and  passed 
the  afternoon  with  Drysdale. 

The  latter  was  in  a  terrible  condition ;  he  seemed  like 
a  man  suffering  from  hydrophobia,  so  sensitive  were  his 
nerves,  and  so  depressed  was  his  mind.  His  thoughts 
could  turn  in  only  one  direction,  and  that  was  toward 
remorse  and  fear. 

"  '  Tis  guilt  alone, 

Like  brain  sick  frenzy  in  its  feverish  mood. 
Fills  the  light  air  with  visionary  terrors 
And  shapeless  forms  of  fear.1' 

Through  advices  from  Andrews,  I  was  aware  that  things 
were  approaching  a  crisis,  and  I  therefore,  went  imme 
diately  to  Atkinson,  in  order  to  be  ready  for  any  emer 
gency.  I  arrived  there  the  very  morning  chosen  by  Mr. 
McGregor,  to  carry  out  his  project  of  sprinkling  blood  at 
the  bank.  He  had  arranged,  by  apparent  accident,  to 
have  two  planters  enter  the  bank  with  him,  and  in  fact,  it 
happened  that  four  gentlemen  were  present  at  ten  o'clock 


DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        1* 

when  he  opened  the  bank.     They  all  entered  together, 

and  when  Mr.  McGregor  had  taken  down  the  blinds,  he 

went  inside  the  bank  railing.     As  he  did  so,  he  uttered  a 

sudden  exclamation,  which  caused  the  others  to  follow. 

"What  can  this  mean!"  he  said,  in  an  excited  tone. 

The  other  gentlemen  gathered  around  the  ghastly  scene 

and  examined  the  blood,  which  lay  in  a  pool  on  the  floor, 

and  in  spots  on  the  furniture  and  wall.     The  canceling 

hammer,  stained  with  blood,  and  clotted  with  hair,  lay 

close  by,  and  every  one  was  reminded  of  the  appearance 

of  the  place,  the  morning  after  George  Gordon's  murder. 

"  What  can  have  happened  ?"  asked  old  Mr.  Gordon, 

who  had  just  entered.     "  Surely,  no  one  was  murdered 

here  last  night." 

"Ah!  I  fear  it  is  done  by  poor  George's  spirit!" 
exclaimed  O'Fallon,  who  was  a  very  superstitious  man. 
"  This  looks  just  as  it  did  that  fatal  morning,  except  that 
the  body  is  not  here.  His  spirit  must  be  uneasy  at  the 
failure  to  discover  his  murderer." 

By  this  time,  Flanders  and  several  others,  had  entered 
the  bank,  and  the  appearance  of  things  there,  was  soon 
circulated  throughout  the  town.  The  excitement  about 
the  murder,  was  revived  in  all  its  original  importance,  and 
many  were  the  speculations  about  the  mysterious  affair. 

Drysdale  felt  rather  strong  that  morning,  and  about 
noon,  he  walked  down  to  his  gate.  While  there,  some 
of  his  neighbors  passed  on  their  way  to  their  homes,  and 
they  were  all  anxious  to  tell  him  about  the  new  sensation 
at  the  bank.  On  hearing  the  news,  Drysdale  dragged 
himself  into  the  house  and  went  to  bed.  There  he  lay, 
groaning  and  sobbing  piteously,  and  when  Andrews  called 


90  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

in  the  afternoon,  he  was  so  helpless  that  Andrews  insisted 
on  calling  a  physician.  In  a  short  time  he  returned  with 
Dr.  Sprague,  who  examined  the  patient,  and  prescribed 
for  him.  Dr.  Sprague  said  that  Drysdale  would  speedily 
recover  with  a  proper  amount  of  rest  and  sleep.  Wake- 
fulness  and  nervous  irritation  seemed  to  be  the  trouble 
with  him,  and  the  doctor  told  Andrews  that  he  had 
prescribed  morphine.  He  said  that  there  was  nothing 
serious  to  fear  unless  fever  should  set  in,  and  if  any 
symptoms  should  show  themselves  it  would  be  necessary 
to  call  him  immediately. 

Upon  leaving  Drysdale,  Andrews  came  to  me  to  report. 
I  had  arranged  with  Mr.  McGregor,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
creek  that  night,  to  search  the  spot  which  had  been 
visited  so  often  by  Drysdale.  I  therefore  sent  Andrews 
back  to  offer  to  remain  with  Drysdale  during  the  night. 
This  arrangement  pleased  Drysdale  very  much,  and  he 
was  quite  touched  by  Andrews  kindness.  I  also  instructed 
Green  to  watch  Drysdale's  house,  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
appear  before  Drysdale,  in  case  the  latter  left  his  house. 
He  was  to  cross  and  re-cross  Drysdale's  path,  until 
Drysdale  should  take  notice  of  him,  while  Andrews  was 
to  be  at  hand  immediately,  pretending  that  he  had  fallen 
asleep  during  his  watch,  and  on  waking  up  suddenly  and 
finding  Drysdale  gone,  had  come  out  in  search  of  him. 

I  told  Mr.  Bannatine  and  Mr.  McGregor,  to  bring  a 
wheelbarrow,  pick-axe,  and  large  shovel  with  them,  since 
we  should  probably  need  the  two  latter  to  dig  up  the 
gold,  while  the  wheelbarrow  would  be  handy  to  carry  it 
home.  Everything  was  provided  for  in  advance,  and  I 
felt  confident  of  the  success  of  our  expedition. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  night  was  clear  and  bright,  and  everything  was 
favorable  for  our  work.  At  twelve  o'clock,  we  met 
as  previously  agreed,  and  hastened  to  the  banks  of  Rocky 
Creek,  at  the  spot  which  Green  had  pointed  out  to  me 
that  day.  On  reaching  the  designated  place,  I  threw  off 
my  coat  and  waded  into  the  creek.  I  soon  found  a  large 
flat  stone,  which  I  removed  to  one  side.  I  was  just 
beginning  to  dig  under  it,  when  Green  hurried  up  and 
told  me  that  Drysdale  had  left  the  house,  and  that  he  was 
only  a  short  distance  behind.  We  quickly  hid  ourselves 
in  the  underbrush,  and  in  a  few  moments  Drysdale 
appeared.  Green  passed  him  back  and  forth,  several 
times,  but  Drysdale  paid  no  attention  to  him  whatever. 
Suddenly  the  thought  flashed  upon  me,  that  he  was 
walking  in  his  sleep,  and  I  soon  saw  that  such  was  the 
case.  All  of  his  midnight  promenades  were  now  ac 
counted  for.  and  it  was  not  strange  that  he  had  not 
noticed  Green.  So  great  was  the  man's  anxiety  and 
nervous  dread  of  discovery,  that  he  could  not  rest  in 
quiet,  and  he  was  forced  to  visit  the  spot  where  his 
blood-stained  treasure  was  concealed,  even  in  his  hours 
of  repose. 

He  now  waded  into  the  creek,  as  before,  but  he  re 
mained  a  much  longer  time  than  usual,  as  he  was  unablr 


9»  PJNKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

to  find  the  large  flat  stone  in  its  accustomed  spot.  Finally, 
he  discovered  where  I  had  thrown  it,  and  he  immediately 
replaced  it  in  the  very  hole  whence  I  had  taken  it.  He 
then  returned  to  the  house,  and  went  to  bed. 

I  again  removed  the  stone,  and  while  Mr.  McGregor 
handled  the  pick-axe,  I  plied  the  shovel  vigorously.  In 
a  very  few  minutes,  we  struck  a  piece  of  wood  which 
gave  back  a  hollow  sound.  This  encouraged  us  to 
renewed  activity,  and  we  were  richly  rewarded  by  un 
earthing  a  large  cheese-box,  whose  weight  gave  ample 
proof  of  the  value  of  its  contents.  Having  replaced  the 
flat  stone  where  we  first  found  it,  we  put  the  box  on  the 
wheelbarrow,  and  took  turns  in  wheeling  it  to  the  bank, 
where  we  soon  broke  it  open  and  discovered,  as  we  had 
expected,  that  it  was  full  of  gold  coin  in  rouleaux.  The 
counting  of  this  large  sum  of  money  was  rather  tedious, 
but  it  was  finally  accomplished  satisfactorily,  and  the 
result  showed  that  only  eighty  dollars  were  missing. 

The  officers  of  the  bank  were  in  high  glee,  and  they 
asked  me  whether  I  had  any  hope  of  recovering  the 
paper  money. 

"  If  I  am  not  mistaken,"  I  replied,  "  I  shall  find  the 
paper  money  also,  within  twenty-four  hours.  I  shall  go 
to  Drysdale's  plantation  to-morrow  night,  and  shall  search 
the  ground  in  that  group  of  trees  of  which  you  have 
already  heard  so  much.  I  think  we  shall  find  there  all 
the  paper  money." 

The  next  day,  Drysdale  and  Andrews  remained 
together  constantly;  indeed,  Drysdale  did  not  seem 
willing  to  let  Andrews  leave  his  sight  for  a  moment.  He 
was  perfectly  helpless  and  inert.  In  the  evening,  I  met 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.         93 

my  companions  of  the  night  previous,  and  we  drove  out 
to  Drysdale's  plantation,  taking  along  the  necessary  tools. 
We  secured  our  horses  in  the  grove,  and  then  Green  led 
the  way  toward  the  spot  where  Drysdale  had  examined 
the  ground.  On  making  a  close  examination  with  our 
dark  lanterns,  we  discovered  a  piece  of  sod  which  had 
evidently  been  taken  up,  for  the  edges  had  not  yet  joined 
with  the  surrounding  turf.  We  quickly  pulled  it  up  and 
began  to  dig  beneath  it;  as  before,  our  search  was 
rewarded  after  a  few  minutes  of  labor.  At  the  depth  of 
two  feet,  we  came  upon  a  large  candle-box,  which  we 
carefully  dug  up  and  placed  in  one  of  our  buggies. 
There  was  apparently,  nothing  more  concealed  in  this 
spot,  and  so  we  replaced  the  earth,  packed  it  down,  and 
put  the  piece  of  sod  back  into  its  place.  We  then  re 
turned  to  Atkinson,  where  we  arrived  just  before  daylight. 
The  bank  officers  immediately  opened  the  box,  and 
counted  the  paper  money  contained  therein ;  it  was  found 
to  agree  exactly,  with  the  sum  stolen  from  the  bank. 
The  packages  of  bills  were  replaced  in  the  box,  which 
was  then  locked  up  in  the  vault. 

I  sent  instructions  by  Andrews  to  Mrs.  Potter  to  again 
make  use  of  the  blood  about  Drysdale's  house,  and  I 
also  ordered  Green  to  keep  watch  during  the  night.  The 
next  morning  Andrews  reported  that  Drysdale's  terror  on 
discovering  the  blood  had  been  greater  than  he  had  ever 
shown  before,  and  that  he  was  fast  breaking  down.  I 
therefore  held  a  consultation  with  the  bank  officers. 

"Now,  gentlemen,"  I  said,  "we  have  recovered  the 
money,  and  we  have  sufficient  evidence  to  convict  the 
murderer.  I  think  it  is  time  to  arrest  him  ;  don't  you  ?* 


94  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

To  tell  the  truth,  I  was  in  no  easy  frame  of  mind 
myself.  I  was  morally  sure  of  Drysdale's  guilt,  but  I  had 
no  legal  evidence  which  was  sufficient  to  convict  him  in 
case  he  should  maintain  his  innocence.  Moreover  I  had 
assumed  a  terrible  responsibility  in  taking  such  extreme 
measures  with  him,  for  there  was  danger  that  he  might 
go  insane  without  confessing  his  guilt,  and  in  that  case 
my  position  would  have  been  really  dangerous.  I 
should  have  been  accused  of  driving  him  crazy  with  no 
proper  justification  for  my  actions,  and  the  result  might 
have  been  most  disastrous  to  me.  The  fact  that  I,  an 
unknown  man  from  the  North,  had  driven  a  high-toned 
Southern  gentleman  insane,  would  have  been  sufficient  to 
hang  me  by  the  summary  process  of  lynch  law. 

The  fact  that  part  of  the  money  had  been  found  on  his 
plantation,  would  be  only  circumstantial  evidence,  since 
another  man  might  have  buried  it  there  as  well  as 
Drysdale.  His  visits  to  the  spots  where  the  money  was 
concealed,  were  not  conclusive  of  guilt,  since  he  was  a 
somnambulist,  and  in  his  sleep-walking  he  was  not 
responsible  for  his  actions.  Mrs.  Potter  suggested  to  me 
that  he  might  have  been  sleep-walking  the  night  of  the 
murder,  and  (while  in  that  condition,)  he  might  have 
followed  the  murderer  to  the  spot  where  the  gold  was 
hidden ;  it  would  then  be  nothing  strange  that  he  should 
go  to  the  same  spot  in  his  subsequent  night-wanderings. 

It  will  thus  be  easily  understood  that  during  the 
remainder  of  my  connection  with  the  case,  I  was  in  a 
highly  wrought  up  frame  of  mind.  Indeed,  when  I  came 
to  make  the  arrest,  it  would  have  been  hard  to  tell 
whether  Drysdale  or  I  was  the  more  excited.  In  reply  to 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        95 

my  question,  Mr.  Bannatine  instructed  me  to  take  what 
ever  course  I  saw  fit,  as  they  were  all  perfectly  satisfied 
with  my  management  of  the  affair.  I  learned  from 
Andrews  that  Drysdale  would  visit  his  office  that  after 
noon,  as  there  were  some  important  matters  requiring 
his  attention.  Drysdale  had  told  Andrews  that  he 
intended  to  put  the  office  in  the  charge  of  a  deputy  for  a 
time,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  go  off  to  New  Orleans  on  a 
visit  oi  several  weeks,  and  he  desired  that  Andrews  should 
accompany  him.  He  little  thought  that  the  toils  were 
closing  around  him  so  rapidly,  and  that  he  should  never 
start  on  his  projected  excursion. 

Having  decided  to  arrest  him  immediately,  I  went  to 
the  office  of  an  old  friend  of  Mr.  Bannatine,  a  lawyer, 
who  drew  up  the  necessary  affidavit  upon  which  I  pro 
posed  to  apply  for  a  warrant.  I  then  called  upon  the 
sheriff,  and  asked  him  to  go  before  a  justice  of  the  peace 
with  me,  while  I  swore  to  an  affidavit  for  a  warrant  which 
I  wished  him  to  execute. 

"What  is  the  warrant  for?"  asked  the  sheriff,  as  he 
walked  along  with  me. 

"  It  is  quite  an  important  case,"  I  replied,  "  and  I  have 
had  the  affidavits  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Wood,  the  lawyer,  and 
you  will  see  the  charge  in  a  few  minutes." 

"All  right,"  said  the  sheriff;  "let  us  go  to  Squire 
Baker's." 

Fortunately  we  found  the  justice  alone,  and  having 
stated  that  I  wished  to  obtain  a  warrant,  I  handed  him 
the  affidavit  which  I  had  had  prepared.  He  carefully 
adjusted  his  glasses  and  began  to  read  the  paper,  but  in 
a  moment  or  two  he  gave  a  sudden  start  and  dropped  the 


06  PINKER  TON'S  DE TECTJ VE  5  TORIES. 

document,  in  utter  amazement.  He  looked  at  me  keenly 
and  said : 

"  Do  you  mean  to  accuse  Mr.  Drysdale  of  murdering 
George  Gordon?" 

At  this  the  sheriff  was  equally  astonished,  and  he  said : 

"  Oh !  nonsense ;  it  can't  be  possible.  Why,  do  you 
know,  my  dear  sir,  that  he  is  one  of  the  finest  gentlemen, 
and  one  of  the  most  honorable  men  in  Atkinson  ?  Surely 
you  are  joking." 

"  No,  I  am  not  joking  at  all,"  I  replied.  "  I  knew,  of 
course,  that  you  would  be  greatly  surprised  and  shocked, 
but  the  proofs  are  too  clear  to  admit  of  any  doubt.  The 
matter  has  been  carefully  examined  by  Mr.  Bannatine, 
Mr.  Gordon,  and  Mr.  McGregor,  and  it  is  at  their  request 
that  I  have  come  to  get  a  warrant.  However,  I  can  soon 
convince  you  of  his  guilt." 

"Well,  well,  it  is  almost  incredible,"  said  Squire  Baker, 
"but  if  Mr.  Bannatine  and  Mr.  McGregor  are  convinced, 
I  presume  there  must  be  strong  grounds  for  suspicion, 
for  they  are  both  very  careful  men.  I  certainly  hope, 
however,  that  it  may  prove  to  have  been  a  mistake,  and 
that  Mr.  Drysdale  will  be  able  to  show  his  innocence." 

I  then  made  oath  to  the  facts,  and  the  warrant  was 
issued.  The  sheriff  asked  me  when  he  should  make  the 
arrest,  and  I  told  him  that  Drysdale  was  then  at  his  office, 
and  he  must  be  taken  at  once.  We  accordingly,  went 
straight  to  his  office,  where  we  found  him  with  Andrews. 
As  the  sheriff  entered,  Drysdale  said : 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Ringwood  ?     Take  a  chair." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Drysdale,"  said  the  sheriff  in  a 
sympathetic  tone ;  "  the  fact  is,  I  am  here  on  a  very 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.        OT 

unpleasant  duty,  and  I  cannot  stay  long.  I  have  a 
warrant  for  your  arrest,  Mr.  Drysdale." 

"Warrant  for  me!  what  for?"  exclaimed  Drysdale., 
huskily. 

"It  is  for  the  murder  of  George  Gordon,"  replied  the 
sheriff. 

"  Who  charges  me  ?     I " 

Drysdale  could  only  shriek  the  above,  ere  he  fell  back 
into  a  chair  almost  lifeless.  In  a  few  minutes,  he  recov 
ered  somewhat,  and  the  sheriff  said : 

"  Mr.  Pinkerton  here,  has  made  an  affidavit  to  the 
charge,  and  he  seems  to  be  acquainted  with  the  grounds 
for  accusing  you;  suppose  you  walk  down  to  the  bank 
with  us." 

Drysdale  gazed  at  me  steadily  for  a  moment,  and  then 
said: 

"  Let  me  look  at  the  warrant." 

He  was  trembling  like  an  aspen  leaf,  while  he  was 
reading  it,  and  when  he  had  finished,  he  expressed  a 
willingness  to  go  with  us,  if  Andrews  would  go  too.  It 
was  now  after  banking  hours,  and  the  bank  was  closed, 
but  the  officers  admitted  us.  After  the  door  had  been 
closed,  I  turned  to  Drysdale  and  said : 

"I  have  the  unpleasant  duty,  Mr.  Drysdale,  of  charging 
you  with  the  murder  of  George  Gordon,  in  this  bank; 
have  you  any  denial  to  make  ?" 

This  was  the  signal  to  Green,  and  as  I  finished  speak 
ing,  he  passed  from  behind  the  desk,  where  he  had  been 
seated,  across  the  spot  where  Gordon's  body  had  fallen. 
He  was  made  up  exactly  like  Gordon,  as  on  previous 
occasions,  and  though  he  was  in  sight  only  a  second,  it 
7 


96  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

was  enough.  Drysdale  gave  a  shriek,  and  fell  lifeless,  34 
the  apparent  ghost  disappeared  in  the  vault.  It  was  done 
so  quickly,  that  even  the  sheriff  was  puzzled  to  determin^ 
what  the  apparition  was.  Restoratives  were  applied,  and 
Drysdale  soon  revived. 

"  Great  God !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Where  is  George 
Gordon  ?  I  am  sure  he  was  here.  Did  you  see  him, 
Andrews  ?" 

No  one  answered,  and  seeing  that  we  were  all  looking 
at  him  in  amazement,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  exclaiming : 

"  I  deny  the  charge  you  have  made  against  me ;  it  is 
false  in  every  particular." 

"Then,  Mr.  Drysdale,"  said  I,  "you  will  probably 
deny  that  you  buried  the  gold,  which  was  taken  from 
this  bank,  in  the  bed  of  Rocky  Creek.  Here  it  is,"  1 
added,  uncovering  the  box,  which  had  been  placed  near 
by. 

He  said  nothing,  but  hung  his  head,  and  drew  a  long 
breath. 

"  Will  you  also  deny  that  you  buried  the  paper  money 
in  a  grove  near  your  house,  on  your  plantation  ?"  I  con 
tinued,  showing  him  the  candle  box. 

He  still  said  nothing,  and  I  made  a  motion  to  Andrews 
to  have  Green  ready  for  a  re-appearance.  Then  I  went 
on  speaking. 

"  This  money  has  all  been  identified  as  that  which  was 
stolen  from  the  bank ;  it  was  found  as  I  have  stated.  I 
also  have  here  a  partly  burned  note  of  yours,  which  you 
used  to  light  the  fire  in  the  grate.  I  have  examined  these 
fragments  of  buttons,  and  I  find  that  they  are  exactly  like 
those  on  the  coat  which  you  brought  home  from  New 


THS  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.       *f 

Orleans  just  before  the  murder ;  they  were  found  in  the 
grate  yonder,  where  you  burned  your  coat,  but  there  is 
enough  left  of  them  to  identify  them.  But  if  you  are  not 
satisfied  with  this  evidence,  that  we  can  prove  you  arc 
guilty,  I  will  even  call  upon  the  murdered  man  himself, 
to  testify  against  you." 

As  I  spoke,  Green  slowly  glided  out  toward  us,  with 
his  white,  set  face,  and  bloody  hair.  Drysdale  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands,  dropped  into  a  chair  and 
shrieked : 

"Oh!  my  God!  I  am  guilty!  I  am  guilty!"  and  he 
sank  back,  but  did  not  faint. 

Green  instantly  retired,  whence  he  came,  and  Drysdale 
continued  speaking,  as  if  he  obtained  relief  by  confessing 
his  crime. 

"  Yes,  I  am  guilty,  and  I  have  suffered  the  tortures  of 
the  damned  since  that  frightful  night.  I  do  not  know 
what  made  me  do  it,  but  I  have  never  known  a  moment's 
peace  since  then.  My  mind  has  been  occupied  with  that 
money  constantly,  and  even  in  my  sleep  I  would  dream 
about  it.  Oh  !  it  is  terrible  !" 

"  Have  you  ever  gone  to  look  for  it  at  night,  Mr. 
Drysdale  ?"  I  asked,  as  I  wished  to  know  whether  he  was 
aware  of  his  somnambulism. 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  would  not  dare  to  go  near  it,  but  it  has 
haunted  me  always." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  murder  George?"  I  asked. 

"  I  can't  tell,"  he  replied,  in  a  choking  voice ;  "  it  all 
occurred  like  a  dream." 

"  What  motive  did  YOU  have  ?     You  surely  could  havt 


1ft          P1NKERTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

got  money  without  resorting  to  robbery,  much  less 
muHer." 

"  No,  I  could  not.  People  think  I  am  wealthy,  but  the 
fact  is  I  lost  a  great  deal  of  money  in  speculating  when  I 
went  to  New  Orleans,  a  few  months  before  the  murder, 
and  although  I  have  a  good  deal  of  property,  I  had  no 
ready  money,  and  I  could  not  work  my  plantation 
properly  for  want  of  it.  I  had  purchased  seven  slaves 
from  a  man  in  New  Orleans,  and  I  could  not  pay  for 
them.  He  was  pressing  me  for  the  money,  about  twelve 
hundred  dollars,  and  I  came  down  to  the  bank  to  get  the 
money  from  George.  I  had  only  three  hundred  dollars  in 
bank,  and  so  I  gave  my  note  for  the  remainder.  While 
George  was  counting  out  the  money,  I  was  taken  with  a 
sort  of  insanity,  and  I  struck  him  with  a  large  hammer 
which  happened  to  be  at  hand.  Then  I  carried  off  the 
money  and  buried  it,  since  which  time  I  have  never 
touched  it.  It  has  been  a  curse  to  me.  This  is  all  I 
have  to  say  now." 

I  turned  to  Mr.  Bannatine  and  said  : 

"  I  have  now  done  all  that  I  can  do  in  this  matter,  I 
think." 

"  Yes,  you  have  completed  your  task,  and  the  law  must 
now  take  its  course,"  he  replied.  "  Mr.  Ringwood,  you 
had  better  take  charge  of  Mr.  Drysdale." 

Drysdale  rose  from  his  chair,  wearily,  and  said: 

"  I  am  glad  the  end  has  come  at  last.  This  affair  has 
been  killing  me  by  inches,  and  I  am  glad  I  have  con 
fessed." 

The  sheriff  then  touched  him  on  the  shoulder  and  said 
that  he  must  go. 


THE  DETECTIVE  AND  SOMNAMBULIST.      Ifl 

"  Yes,  I  am  ready,"  he  replied,  "  but  please  let  me 
speak  a  few  words  privately,  to  Mr.  Andrews ;  I  want  to 
send  a  message  to  my  wife,"  he  added,  with  a  sob. 

He  and  Andrews  then  stepped  into  the  small  private 
office,  and  Andrews  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

"Andrews,  my  friend,"  said  Drysdale,  convulsively,  "I 
beg  you  to  break  this  news  to  my  poor  wife.  God  help 
her  and  the  children.  Tell  her  that  I  feel  better  for 
having  confessed,  and  whatever  happens  she  must  keep 
up  her  courage.  Now,  my  dear  friend,  good  bye.  Tell 
the  sheriff  to  come  here  and  take  me  to  jail." 

He  wrung  Andrews'  hand  warmly  as  the  latter  stepped 
to  the  door,  but  before  the  latter  had  reached  us,  we 
heard  the  ringing  report  of  a  pistol  shot.  We  made  a 
simultaneous  rush  for  the  little  room,  but  we  were  too 
late.  There,  quivering  on  the  floor,  with  a  bullet  in  his 
brain,  lay  the  murderer  of  George  Gordon.  The  crime 
and  the  avengement  had  occurred  in  the  same  building, 
only  a  few  feet  separating  the  spot  where  the  two  bodies 
had  fallen.  The  somnambulist  had  walked  on  earth  for 
the  last  time. 

THE   END. 


THE  MURDERER 


FORTUNE  TELLER. 


THE  MURDERER 


FORTUNE  TELLER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ONE  sultry  day  in  the  summer  of  185-,  I  arrived  in 
Chicago,  from  a  tour  I  had  been  making  through 
the  Southern  States.  I  had  attended  to  a  portion  of  the 
accumulated  business  which  I  found  awaiting  me,  when 
a  gentleman  entered  the  outer  office  and  asked  one  of 
my  clerks  whether  he  could  see  me  immediately  on  some 
very  important  business.  Mr.  Howard  saw  by  the  gentle 
man's  appearance,  that  the  matter  must  be  one  of  great 
consequence,  and,  therefore,  ushered  the  visitor  into  my 
private  office,  without  asking  any  questions. 

"  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  believe  ?"  said  the  gentleman,  as  he 
advanced  toward  me. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied ;  "what  can  I  do  for  you ?" 
He  took  a  letter  from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  me. 
I  motioned  him  to  be  seated,  while  I  read  the  letter.    I 
found  it  to  be  from  my  old  friend  Chapman,  a  lawyer  ift 


10«          PIN/TEUTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

New  Haven,  Connecticut,  introducing  the  bearer,  Captain 
J.  N.  Sumner.  The  letter  stated  that  Captain  Sumner 
was  a  resident  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  near  which 
place  he  owned  a  farm.  He  had  a  moderate  fortune,  and 
he  was  a  most  estimable  man.  Mr.  Chapman  had  known 
him  for  many  years,  during  which  time  he  had  always 
borne  himself  in  an  upright,  straightforward  manner,  free 
from  all  reproach.  Lately,  however,  he  had  become 
involved  in  some  very  serious  difficulties  in  the  West, 
and  Mr.  Chapman  had  advised  him  to  see  me,  and 
obtain  my  assistance  in  extricating  himself  from  his 
troubles.  Mr.  Chapman  concluded  by  saying,  that  he 
was  confident,  that,  if  any  one  could  aid  the  Captain,  I 
was  the  best  person  to  consult. 

I  had  not  seen  Mr.  Chapman  for  some  years,  the  last 
time  having  been  while  I  was  attending  to  some  business 
in  which  he  was  interested.  He  was  especially  noted  as 
a  criminal  lawyer  being  employed  quite  as  often  for  the 
prosecution,  as  for  the  defense.  We  were  the  best  of 
friends,  and  had  cracked  many  a  joke  at  each  other's 
expense.  He  did  not  mention  the  nature  of  the  Captain's 
troubles  in  his  letters,  leaving  that  for  the  Captain  to  do 
himself. 

While  I  was  reading  the  letter,  I  was  aware  that  the 
Captain  was  observing  me  closely,  as  if  desirous  of 
reading  my  very  thoughts.  When  I  had  finished,  I 
said: 

"Captain  Sumner,  I  am  glad  to  meet  you.  Any  one 
bearing  a  letter  from  my  old  friend  Chapman,  is  welcome." 

As  I  spoke,  I  looked  straight  at  him,  and  took  in  his 
whole  appearance. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  T UNE  TELLER.      107 

He  was  apparently,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  but  was 
rery  well  preserved,  not  a  streak  of  gray  being  visible  ia 
his  dark,  curly  hair.  He  was  slightly  above  the  middle 
height,  and  his  frame  was  proportionally  powerful,  his 
limbs  being  well  knit,  and  muscular.  His  clear,  hazel 
eyes  looked  frankly  out  beneath  heavy,  straight  eyebrows, 
while  his  large  Roman  nose  and  massive  chin,  gave  his 
face  great  firmness  and  determination.  His  teeth  were 
white  and  regular,  and  his  smile  was  unusually  sweet 
and  expressive.  His  face  was  much  tanned  from  long 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  his  hands  were  large  and 
hard.  He  was  dressed  in  a  quiet,  neat  suit  of  gray  cloth, 
well  fitting  but  easy,  and  there  was  nothing  loud  or  in 
bad  taste  about  him.  His  only  articles  of  jewelry  were  a 
gold  watch  and  chain,  and  a  seal  ring  with  a  peculiar, 
plain  stone,  worn  on  the  little  finger  of  his  left  hand.  I 
gazed  steadily  at  him  for  about  two  minutes,  which  is 
about  as  long  a  time  as  I  need  to  obtain  a  correct  opinion 
of  a  man's  character.  I  was  very  favorably  impressed  by 
his  appearance,  and  I  prepared  to  hear  his  story  with 
more  interest  than  I  should  have  had,  if  he  had  been  a 
less  honest,  reliable  looking  man. 

He  opened  the  conversation,  while  I  was  still  looking 
straight  into  his  face. 

"Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  said,  "I  have  heard  a  great  deal 
about  you  from  various  sources,  and  I  little  thought  that 
I  should  ever  require  your  services;  but,  lately,  while 
consulting  Mr.  Chapman  relative  to  a  possible  flaw  in  the 
title  to  my  farm,  I  also  laid  before  him  some  other 
troubles  which  he  acknowledged  were  so  serious  as  to 
require  the  advice  and  assistance  of  some  one  with  * 


108  PINKER  TON'S  DETECTiVE  S  TORIES. 

training  and  experience  somewhat  different  from  his.  He 
urged  me  so  strongly  to  state  my  case  to  you,  and  obtain 
your  aid,  that  I  have  finally  decided  to  follow  his  advice, 
and  here  I  am." 

"When  did  you  arrive?"  I  inquired. 

"  About  a  week  ago.  I  looked  around  for  a  time  to  see 

if  my  difficulties  had  diminished, "  (and  he  passed 

his  hand  nervously  through  his  hair,  drawing  a  long 
breath)  —  "  but  I  found  they  had  increased,  if  anything. 
Mr.  Pinkerton,  when  I  retired  from  the  sea  and  settled 
down  on  my  farm,  I  thought  my  cares  and  vexations  were 
over,  and  that  I  could  find  in  the  peace  and  tranquility 
of  country  life,  a  rich  reward  for  the  hardships  I  had 
endured  while  earning  enough  to  retire  on.  My  father, 
also,  was  a  sailor  many  years,  and,  after  passing  the  best 
part  of  his  life  at  sea,  in  like  manner,  he  was  able  to  live 
his  last  twenty  years  in  peace  and  content  upon  his  farm ; 
there  I  was  reared,  until  I  was  old  enough  to  go  to  sea. 
I  have  followed  his  example ;  but,  instead  of  enjoying  the 
peace  he  did,  I  find  that  my  serious  troubles  are  only  just 
beginning.  If  1  were  at  sea,  I  should  have  no  fears,  for 
there  I  am  perfectly  at  home.  No  matter  how  the  wind 
might  blow,  or  the  seas  roll,  I  always  brought  my  ship 
through  in  safety.  I  could  read  the  signs  of  the  weather, 
and  could  detect  the  approach  of  danger  from  the 
elements.  I  knew  my  enemies  were  there,  and  that  was 
half  the  battle.  Here,  on  land,  I  find  it  so  different ;  my 
worst  enemies  come  to  me  with  the  smiles  and  greetings 
of  friends;  they  express  the  tenderest  wishes  for  my 
welfare,  and  shower  upon  me  the  tokens  of  their  affection; 
then,  having  fairly  won  my  confidence,  they  turn  upon 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.     109 

me  when  I  least  expect  it,  and  stab  me  cruelly.  I  am  a 
plain,  blunt  man  —  often  irritable  and  unjust,  I  know — 
still,  1  never  flinch  from  danger  when  I  can  see  it  •  but, 
the  very  nature  of  my  bringing  up  has  rendered  me  unfit 
to  cope  with  the  wiles  and  subtleties  of  my  fellow  man. 
You,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  it  is  said,  have  the  power  to  see 
direct  to  the  hearts  of  men  through  the  shams  and 
artifices  by  which  they  seek  to  hide  their  true  characters, 
and  you  are  the  only  man  who  can  assist  me.  Oh,  I  wish 
I  were  back  on  the  sea,  far  away  from  all  my  troubles.  I 
should  care  but  little  if  I  never  returned." 

He  spoke  in  a  low  voice,  but  the  tone  was  clear  until 
the  last,  when  his  words  were  very  pathetic.  As  he  closed, 
his  head  dropped  forward,  and  he  sat  gazing  fixedly  at 
his  ring  in  an  attitude  of  mournful  retrospection. 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  wait  awhile  before  telling  me 
your  story,"  I  suggested. 

"Yes,''  he  replied,  looking  at  his  watch,  "it  is  now  five 
o'clock,  so  I  will  defer  making  my  statement  until  to-mor 
row  ;  though  I  should  prefer  to  make  it  now,  if  I  had 
time.  The  story  is  a  long  one,  and  I  shall  have  to  take  a 
considerable  portion  of  your  valuable  time  in  telling  it. 
Will  you  please  to  name  the  hour  when  I  can  meet  you 
to-morrow,  to  give  you  all  the  facts  in  the  case?" 

I  had  already  become  interested  in  the  Captain,  and, 
after  thinking  for  a  moment  how  I  could  best  arrange  my 
other  business  so  as  to  grant  him  the  necessary  time,  I 
told  him  to  come  at  nine  o'clock  next  morning.  He  said 
he  would  be  punctual  in  keeping  the  appointment ;  then 
stepping  forward,  he  took  my  hand  and  said,  in  a  very 
impressive  way,  "  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  shall  meet  you  if  I  am 


11C           PlNKERTON  'S  DE TEC7  '  VE  STORIE  S. 

alive,  I  am  not  afraid  of  death  ;  i  have  met  it  scores  of 
times,  face  to  face,  and  have  aever  flinched  from  it ;  but 
now  I  must  take  care  of  mvself  If  I  don't  come,  iust 
look  for  me  at  mv  boardinp  house." 

I  glanced  quickly  at  him,  out  could  see  nothing  wrong 
about  his  mind.  His  eves  vver^  clear  and  natural*,  his 
whole  appearance  showed  him  to  oe  \  plain,  blunt  sea 
man,  little  disposed  to  invent  imaginary  dangers,  Still, 
there  was  in  his  manner,  a  deep  melancholy  which  showed 
me  that  it  was  not  any  natural  disease  that  he  dreaded, 
and  which  caused  me  to  axciaim : 

'Why,  Captain,  you  fear  death  by  violence,  do  you 
not?" 

"Yes,'  he  replied ;  "  but  1  cannot  enter  into  details  at 
present.  I  shall  trv  co  save  myself  and  meet  you  to-mor 
row  morning,  but  A  I  do  not  come,  please  send  my 
body  to  Connecticut,  to  be  interred  near  th»=  rest  of  mv 
family  " 

He  then  said  good-day  and  went  out,  icaviiu  me  to 
speculate  upon  his  oeculiar  Behavior,  and  to  wonder  what 
were  the  dangers  .vhich  surrounded  him.  I  was  so  much 
pleased  with  his  "rank,  manlv  simplicity  that  I  was  Je- 
termined  to  give  him  all  the  assistant  'n  my  rjower, 


CHAPTER  II. 

AT  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Captain  Sumnei 
walked  into  my  private  office,  and  I  immediately 
locked  the  door  to  avoid  interruption.  I  noticed  that  he 
was  apparently  much  more  contented  than  he  had  been 
the  evening  previous ;  but  I  said  nothing,  preferring  to 
have  him  tell  his  story  in  his  own  way.  He  began  imme 
diately,  without  wasting  time  in  preliminaries : 

"  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  know  that  you  are  always  busy,  and 
that  time  is  money  to  you ;  hence,  I  shall  be  as  brief  as 
possible.  In  order  to  begin  right,  I  must  go  slightly  into 
my  family  history.  My  father  owned  a  farm  near  Spring 
field,  Massachusetts,  where  my  mother  brought  up  the 
family  while  he  was  away  at  sea.  He  was  as  fine  a  seaman 
as  ever  trod  a  deck,  and  became  Captain  in  one  of  the 
regular  lines  of  East  India  packet  companies  while  I 
was  a  mere  child.  I  had  one  brother  who  died  very 
young,  leaving  me  the  only  boy  of  the  family.  I  had  two 
sisters,  however,  Lucy  and  Annie.  My  father  took  me 
to  sea  with  him  when  I  was  quite  a  boy,  and  he  put  me 
through  such  a  thorough  course  of  seamanship  and  navi 
gation  that,  by  the  time  he  was  ready  to  resign  his  cap 
taincy  and  retire  to  his  farm,  I  was  promoted  to  the  posi 
tion  of  first  mate  in  the  same  line.  This  was  in  1836. 

About  this  time  my  mother  died,  and  my  tsisters  took 
charge  of  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  farm.  My  older 


118  PINKE^TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIED 

sister,  Lucy,  now  Mrs.  W.  R.  Lucas,  was  twenty-two  yeatu 
old.  She  was  a  girl  of  great  firmness  of  character,  and 
she  has  since  proved  herself  the  best  of  wives,  being  very 
domestic  and  fond  of  home  pleasures.  Annie,  my  younger 
sister,  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  she  was  then  my 
special  pride  and  delight ;  as,  indeed,  she  has  been  all 
her  life.  She  was  tall  and  slender,  but  well  proportioned 
and  graceful.  Her  features  were  regular  and  expressive, 
and  her  complexion  was  very  delicate ;  yet  it  has  retained 
its  freshness  until  now,  instead  of  fading,  as  is  the  case 
with  most  clear,  soft  complexions.  She  was  then,  and  is 
still,  a  beautiful  woman.  She  was  very  vivacious  and 
witty,  was  fond  of  society,  and  cared  less  for  domestic 
pursuits  than  to  have  a  gay  time  in  a  large  company. 
She  was  petted  and  indulged  a  great  deal,  being  the  young 
est  and  a  beauty,  so  that  she  was  not  often  called  upon 
to  practice  self-denial.  It  is  probably  partly  due  to  this 
lack  of  restraint  during  her  early  years  that  she  never  has 
had  the  strength  of  character  and  devotion  to  good  prin 
ciples  as  Lucy." 

Here  the  Captain  sighed  heavily,  and  stopped  speak 
ing  for  a  minute  or  two.  I  handed  him  a  glass  of  ice- 
water,  which  he  drank  mechanically.  He  then  continued : 

"  As  I  before  stated,  I  became  first  mate  when  my  fath 
er  retired.  The  company  was  a  wealthy  one,  owning  a 
number  of  ships,  so  that  the  chances  for  promotion  were 
very  good.  My  most  intimate  friend  was  a  young  man 
named  Henry  Thayer.  We  had  long  been  ship-mates 
together,  and  had  passed  through  a  school  of  navigation 
at  the  same  time.  He  was  a  thorough  seaman,  a  careful, 
considerate  officer,  and  a  true  friend.  He  was  a  general 


THE  MURDEREK  AND  FORTUNE  7  ELLh*.       113 

favorite  on  account  of  his  cheerful  disposition,  and  we 
soon  became  like  brothers.  Whenever  we  returned  from 
a  voyage,  I  would  bring  Henry  out  to  the  farm  to  spend 
a  few  days,  and,  about  the  time  of  my  promotion,  I  found 
that  h«  had  become  warmly  attached  to  Annie.  At  every 
opportunity,  he  would  run  down  to  see  her,  and  in  every 
foreign  port  we  entered,  he  would  be  sure  to  buy  some 
rare  and  curious  present  for  her.  His  affection  was  recip 
rocated  by  Annie,  and  one  day,  after  I  had  made  two  or 
three  short  voyages  as  first  mate,  I  returned  to  the  farm 
and  found  Annie  wearing  an  engagement  ring.  I  laugh 
ingly  asked  her  when  it  was  to  come  off,  and  she  replied, 
with  many  blushes,  that  they  were  to  be  married  on  Hen 
ry's  return  from  his  next  voyage.  I  knew  that  Annie 
was  very  fond  of  gentlemen's  society,  so  I  advised  her  to 
try  to  overcome  her  taste  for  dress  and  company ;  since, 
when  she  was  married,  her  husband  would  be  away  from 
home  a  great  deal,  and  then  it  would  not  look  well  for  her 
to  receive  much  attention  in  his  absence.  She  seemed  to 
acknowledge  the  force  of  my  remarks,  and  said  that  she 
should  do  all  in  her  power  to  make  Henry  happy. 

"  On  returning  to  New  York,  I  found  that  Henry  had 
been  just  appointed  first  mate,  and  that  I  had  pleased  the 
company  so  well  that  they  wished  me  to  take  command 
of  a  new  ship  which  they  were  building.  I  gladly  accepted 
the  command,  and  as  the  ship  was  not  ready  for  sea,  I 
returned  to  the  farm,  where  I  spent  two  months.  I  was 
somewhat  annoyed  at  Annie's  conduct  occasionally,  as 
she  received,  and  apparently  enjoyed,  the  attention  of 
several  stylish  young  men,  more  than  was  befitting  a  girl 

who  was  engaged  to  be  married.     I  frequently  ran  down 
8 


114          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

to  New  York  to  oversee  the  rigging  of  the  new  ship,  so 
that  I  did  not  know  much  about  her  acquaintances ;  but 
once,  on  my  return,  I  saw  a  beautiful  amethyst  ring  on 
Annie's  finger. 

" '  Where  did  you  get  that  ring,  Annie  ?'  I  asked. 

"  She  laughed  gaily  and  said  : 

" '  Oh  !  it  isn't  mine ;  a  gentleman  loaned  it  to  me  to 
wear  a  few  days.' 

"  My  impression  was,  however,  that  it  had  been  given 
to  her,  and  I  feared  she  was  forgetting  Henry;  so  I  said : 

"  *  That  is  a  strange  way  of  acting,  Annie.  You  are 
engaged  to  Henry,  and  you  ought  to  know  that  it  is  a 
wrong  and  an  insult  to  him  for  you  to  receive  a  present 
from  another  young  man.  If  Henry  knew  of  this,  it 
would  make  trouble.' 

"  She  recognized  the  truth  of  what  I  had  said,  but  she 
was  determined  not  to  acknowledge  that  she  had  done 
wrong ;  so  she  flew  into  a  passion  and  said,  as  sneeringly 
as  possible  : 

" '  Oh !  so  you  are  left  here  to  watch  me,  are  you  ? 
Well,  then,  just  report  to  him  that  I  can  get  a  better 
husband  than  he  is,  any  day.  I  am  not  going  to  shut 
myself  up,  like  a  nun  in  a  convent,  for  any  man.' 

"  I  told  her  that  I  had  no  desire  to  act  the  part  of  a 
tale-bearer,  but  that  I  spoke  only  for  her  good;  her 
conscience  must  tell  her  that  she  was  doing  wrong.  I 
concluded  by  asking  her  to  stay  more  at  home,  and  thus 
prepare  for  a  more  domestic  life.  I  did  not  see  the  ring 
after  this,  but  Annie  was  very  distant  in  her  manner 
toward  me ;  her  actions  showed  as  plainly  as  if  she  had 
spoken,  that  she  considered  me  in  the  light  of  an  un- 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.       Ill 

reasonable  guardian,  who  wished  to  deprive  her  of  all 
enjoyment.  Her  giddiness  and  perverseness  caused  me 
much  trouble,  and  I  greatly  feared  she  would  become 
reckless  after  my  departure.  She  was  my  favorite  sister, 
however,  and  no  matter  how  she  might  treat  me,  I  could 
never  lose  my  love  for  her. 

"  The  first  voyage  in  my  new  ship,  was  a  very  long  one, 
and,  on  my  return,  I  found  that  there  had  been  many 
changes  in  my  absence.  Henry  and  Annie  had  been 
married  for  sometime,  and  Henry  was  then  away  at  sea. 
As  my  father  had  died  shortly  after  the  marriage,  Annie 
was  living  alone  in  New  York,  where  I  called  upon  her. 
She  was  pleasantly  situated,  and  seemed  to  have  every 
thing  that  could  be  wished.  Lucy  was  also  married,  and 
was  living  in  Morristown,  New  Jersey.  The  old  home 
stead  had  been  sold  at  my  father's  death,  the  proceeds 
being  divided  between  my  sisters.  A  few  thousand  dollars 
were  left  to  me,  which  I  deposited  in  bank  with  my 
savings. 

"  On  my  return  from  another  long  voyage,  I  was  delighted 
to  find  Henry  at  home  with  Annie,  and  they  seemed  more 
devoted  to  each  other  than  ever.  After  this,  I  saw  Henry 
but  twice — once  in  Singapore,  and  once  in  Calcutta.  He 
was  then  as  much  in  love  with  Annie,  as  when  he  first 
married  her,  and  he  said  that  she  made  him  perfectly 
happy.  The  last  time  I  met  him,  he  had  just  been 
notified  that  he  should  be  given  the  command  of  a  fine 
ship  on  his  return  to  New  York ;  consequently  he  was  in 
high  spirits. 

"  When  I  next  arrived  in  New  York  harbor,  I  made  it 
nay  first  duty  to  call  on  Annie.  Much  to  my  surprise,  I 


llf  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

found  that  she  was  teaching  music  in  Brooklyn,  at  a  very 
high  salary.  Her  musical  education  had  been  very 
thorough,  so  that  she  was  perfectly  competent;  but  I 
could  not  see  the  necessity  for  her  to  teach.  She  had  had 
one  child,  but  it  had  died  in  infancy,  and  she  was  living 
in  a  fashionable  boarding  house.  I  called  in  the  evening, 
intending  to  ask  her  to  accompany  me  for  a  walk,  but  she 
was  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  company,  among  whom 
were  several  gentlemen,  and  all  were  paying  her  great 
attention.  She  was  very  stylishly  dressed,  and,  to  my 
great  disgust,  she  seemed  to  be  coquetting  with  several 
of  her  admirers.  When  I  was  announced,  she  led  me 
into  the  library,  as  if  anxious  that  the  company  in  the 
parlor  should  not  know  that  a  hard-fisted,  weather-beaten 
sailor  like  me,  was  her  brother.  Still,  she  spoke  very 
kindly,  and  seemed  glad  to  see  me.  She  excused  herself 
from  going  to  walk  with  me  on  the  ground  that  she  had 
an  engagement  to  accompany  the  rest  of  the  party  to  the 
theatre;  but  she  said  that  if  I  would  call  some  other 
evening,  she  would  gladly  go.  I  was  somewhat  puzzled 
by  her  surroundings  and  manners,  and  I  determined  to 
have  a  quiet  talk  with  her  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  The  next  day,  I  went  to  Boston  on  very  important 
business,  and,  on  my  return,  I  found  Annie  plunged  into 
all  the  gayety  and  dissipation  of  New  York  fashionable 
life.  She  certainly  presented  a  very  elegant  and  stylish 
appearance;  yet,  my  heart  ached  as  I  looked  at  her. 
How  much  joy  it  would  have  given  me  to  have  found  her 
in  a  quiet  little  home  waiting  anxiously  for  Henry's  return. 

"  I  talked  with  her  for  sometime  about  her  affairs,  and 
urged  her  to  lead  a  more  quiet  life ;  but  she  insisted  that 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER,      lit 

Henry  approved  of  her  present  way  of  living ;  of  course, 
I  could  say  nothing  further. 

"  *  Henry  is  not  as  unreasonable  as  you  are,'  she  would 
say.  '  He  knew  how  lonely  I  would  be  while  he  was 
gone,  and,  therefore,  he  told  me  not  to  mope  and  pine, 
but  to  get  into  good  society,  and  try  to  be  cheerful  and 
happy.' 

"  Still,  I  had  an  undefined  feeling  that  Annie  was  in 
danger,  and  I  wrote  to  Lucy  about  her,  asking  Lucy  to 
induce  her  to  break  away  from  the  gay  life  she  was 
leading.  Soon  afterward,  I  went  to  sea  again,  and, 
during  my  absence,  Henry  was  given  command  of  one 
of  the  finest  ships  in  the  line.  Two  years  passed  quickly 
away,  but,  as  I  was  engaged  during  that  time  in  making 
short  voyages  to  the  West  Indies  and  back,  I  frequently 
saw  Annie  in  New  York.  She  seemed  to  grow  more  and 
more  estranged  from  me,  however,  and  her  conduct  caused 
me  great  anxiety.  I  had  seen  some  things  in  her  deport 
ment,  which,  though  not  absolutely  wrong,  were,  to  my 
mind,  far  from  proper ;  besides,  she  showed  a  carelessness 
of  appearances  not  at  all  becoming  a  married  woman. 

"  My  next  series  of  voyages  were  very  long,  and  I  was 
able  to  see  Annie  only  once  or  twice  in  several  years. 
She  was  now  thirty-two  years  old,  and  was  unusually  and 
strikingly  handsome.  About  this  time,  I  returned  from 
a  long  cruise,  and  found  Annie  still  teaching  music  in 
Brooklyn.  She  dressed  as  elegantly  as  ever,  and  seemed 
very  complacent  and  contented.  I  invited  her  to  take  a 
walk  with  me,  and  we  went  out  toward  one  of  the  small 
city  parks.  As  she  swept  along  beside  me,  her  features 
all  animation,  and  her  eyes  sparkling  with  health  and 


118          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

pleasure,  I  thought  I  had  never  before  seen  any  one  so 
beautiful.  I  did  not  wonder  that  Henry  was  so  proud  of 
her.  or  that  he  should  indulge  her  so  much.  We  strolled 
about  in  the  park  for  a  time,  and  then  seated  ourselves  in 
a  quiet  spot. 

1 '  How  long  is  it  since  you  have  hieard  from  Henry  ?'  I 
asked. 

1 '  Why,  don't  you  know  that  we  had  a  quarrel  several 
months  ago?'  she  answered,  with  an  effort,  her  face 
turning  very  red. 

' '  Annie,  do  you  mean  that  you  and  Henry  have  sepa 
rated  ?'  I  asked,  very  much  shocked  at  such  news. 

"  'Yes  ;  that  is  what  I  mean.  Henry  became  so  strict 
and  unjust  with  me  that  I  complained  to  him  of  his  treat 
ment.  One  word  brought  on  another,  until  at  last  he 
flew  into  a  violent  passion  and  left  me.' 

"On  hearing  Annie  relate,  in  such  a  cool,  off-hand 
manner,  how  she  had  driven  away  one  of  the  best  hus 
bands  that  ever  lived,  I  was  perfectly  thunderstruck.  I 
had  feared  that  something  of  the  kind  might  happen,  but 
now  that  it  had  really  come  to  pass,  I  hardly  knew  what 
to  do  or  say. 

"  '  Is  it  possible,  Annie!'  I  said.     'Where  did  he  go?' 

" '  I  don't  know,'  she  replied ;  '  he  left  his  ship  and 
went  off.' 

'"But  they  know  at  the  office  where  he  went,  don't 
they  ?'  I  asked. 

"  '  No ;  he  left  his  ship  at  short  notice.     The  company 
tried  to  keep  him,  but  he  would  not  stay ;  and,  finally,  he 
went  off  without  telling  any  one  where  be  was  going, 
answered  Annie,  beginning  to  cry. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      11» 

"  It  seemed  co  me  that  she  was  crying  more  to  avert 
my  displeasure  than  because  she  missed  Henry ;  but  she 
was  my  favorite  sister,  and  I  still  loved  her.  Hence, 
though  I  deeply  regretted  and  condemned  her  actions,  I 
could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  characterize  her  conduct 
as  it  deserved. 

" '  Annie,  are  you  not  entirely  to  blame  for  this  ? 
Remember  how  many  times  I  have  cautioned  you  against 
the  course  you  were  pursuing.  Tell  me  what  led  to  your 
separation,'  I  asked,  finally. 

"At  first  she  refused  to  say  anything;  but,  at  length,  I 
drew  out  that  reports  had  reached  Henry's  ears  that  she 
was  in  the  habit  of  accepting  a  great  deal  of  attention 
from  a  certain  gentleman,  and  that  he  accompanied  her 
to  the  theatre  very  frequently. 

" '  But,'  she  said,  '  there  was  nothing  wrong  in  that.' 

"  Then,  on  several  occasions,  Henry  asked  her  to 
attend  the  theatre  with  him  ;  but  it  so  happened  that  she 
had  a  severe  headache  each  time.  This  made  Henry 
jealous,  and  he  asked  her,  tauntingly,  why  she  never  had 
a  headache  when  a  certain  gentleman  called.  This  sneer 
led  to  mutual  recriminations  and  bitter  language  on  both 
sides,  until  Henry  went  away  in  a  towering  rage. 

"  I  could  see  the  whole  trouble.  Henry  loved  her 
passionately,  and  her  conduct  had  driven  him  away  in 
despair.  I  determined  to  search  for  him  everywhere,  in 
the  hope  of  bringing  them  again  together,  and  effecting  a 
reconciliation. 

"  The  day  before  I  sailed  on  my  next  voyage,  I  saw  a 
beautiful  diamond  ring  on  Annie's  finger. 

"  *  Annie/  I  asked,  sorrowfully,  '  whose  ring  is  that?' 


120          PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TE  C  77  VE  S  TOR  IE  S. 

" '  Why,  mine,  of  course,'  she  replied ;  '  have  you  nevei 
seen  it  before  ?' 

" '  You  must  have  plenty  of  money  to  be  able  to  buy 
such  valuable  jewelry  as  that,'  I  said.  '  I  think  you  show 
very  bad  taste  to  display  it  at  this  time,  when  you  know- 
that  your  folly  has  driven  your  husband  from  you,'  I 
added,  angrily. 

"  She  hung  her  head  in  silence,  as  if  really  ashamed, 
and  I  went  away  feeling  almost  guilty  for  having  spoken 
so  harshly  to  her. 

"  My  next  voyage  was  to  the  East  Indies,  and  I  made 
inquiries  about  Henry  at  every  port,  besides  'speaking' 
every  vessel  I  met  at  sea,  but  no  one  could  tell  me  any 
thing  about  him.  It  became  evident  that  he  had  not 
only  left  the  service  of  the  company,  but  that  he  had 
disappeared  from  all  the  localities  where  he  was  known. 

"  On  my  return  to  New  York,  1  hurried  over  to  see 
Annie  early  in  the  evening.  She  was  dressed  for  the 
opera,  and  was  evidently  expecting  some  one.  She  was 
quite  surprised  to  see  me,  but  she  threw  herself  into  my 
arms  and  kissed  me  very  affectionately,  as  she  inquired 
whether  I  had  heard  any  news  of  her  dear  Henry.  When 
I  told  her  of  my  poor  success,  she  pretended  to  feel  very 
sorry,  though  she  did  not  apparently  allow  her  sorrow  to 
interfere  with  her  enjoyment. 

'"Well,  Annie,'  I  said,  'you  are  dressed  to  go  out 
somewhere,  aren't  you  ?  Tell  me  all  about  it.' 

"'Yes,'  she  replied,  'I  intended  going  to  the  opera 
with  Mr.  Pattmore,  but  if  you  do  not  wish  me  to  go,  I 
wi'.l  remain  at  home.  You  must  stay  to  meet  him  ;  he 
is  one  of  the  most  perfect  ^ntlemen  I  have  ever  met. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER,      lit 

He  belongs  in  Massachusetts,  but  he  now  owns  a  large 
hotel  in  Greenville,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Pattmore  and  I  are  such 
good  friends,  and  all  the  children  think  the  world  of  me. 
I  have  been  out  to  visit  them  in  Greenville  twice,  and 
they  made  my  stay  so  pleasant  that  I  always  speak  of 
their  house  as  my  home.  Mr.  Pattmore  is  in  town  on 
business,  and  I  received  a  note  from  him  this  morning 
asking  me  to  go  to  the  opera.' 

u  Mr.  Pattmore  came  in  just  then,  and  we  were  intro 
duced  to  each  other.  He  was  a  well-built  man  of  about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  with  very  agreeable,  easy  manners. 
His  hair  and  mustache  were  jet  black,  and  his  features 
were  rather  pleasing.  His  eyes  were  large  and  black,  but 
restless  and  snaky;  I  noticed  that  he  never  looked 
straight  into  my  face  when  speaking  to  me.  He  was 
dressed  in  the  height  of  the  prevailing  fashion,  and  he 
showed  a  good  deal  of  jewelry.  They  both  pressed  me 
to  accompany  them  to  the  opera,  but  as  I  was  not  appro 
priately  dressed,  I  declined  politely,  and  they  went 
without  me. 

"  I  had  previously  learned  at  the  office  of  the  company, 
that  they  had  not  heard  anything  of  Henry,  so  I  sorrow 
fully  returned  aboard  my  ship,  almost  decided  to  give  up 
a  sea-faring  life.  I  was  then  fifty  years  of  age,  and  I 
thought  of  buying  a  farm,  where  I  could  settle  down  at 
my  ease.  I  knew  that  Annie  was  in  a  dangerous  position 
for  a  handsome  woman  — left  alone  with  no  one  to  advise 
or  restrain  her  —  and  I  wished  to  take  her  with  me,  so  as 
to  remove  her  from  temptation.  I  therefore,  wrote  to 
Lucy,  asking  her  opinion,  and  requesting  her  to  adrise 
Annie  to  give  up  her  present  mode  of  life. 


188          PUVXERTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  Lucy  wrote  a  long  letter  in  reply :  she  said  that  she 
very  much  feared  there  was  something  wrong  between 
Annie  and  Pattmore;  when  Annie  was  staying  at  Green 
ville,  Lucy  had  written  twice,  asking  her  to  come  to 
Morristown,  where  Lucy  lived ;  Annie  had  promised  to 
do  so,  but  she  had  never  come.  Pattmore,  Lucy  said, 
was  a  prominent  politician  in  Greenville,  and  he  was 
looking  forward  to  the  nomination  for  congressman.  Mrs. 
Pattmore  was  a  very  good  woman,  of  fine  appearance  and 
agreeable  manners ;  she  was  very  domestic  in  her  tastes 
and  she  delighted  in  taking  care  of  her  home  and  children. 
There  were  three  children  living,  the  eldest  son  being 
about  twenty-one  years  old,  and  the  other  two  being  quite 
young.  Mr.  Pattmore 's  hotel  was  very  well  kept  and 
popular,  and  he  was  supposed  to  be  wealthy. 

"Lucy's  letter  added  greatly  to  the  anxiety  which  I 
felt  about  Annie,  and  I  was  very  desirous  of  resigning 
my  command  immediately,  in  order  to  settle  down  on  a 
farm  with  her,  and  thus  remove  her  from  the  temptations 
of  a  gay  city.  I  felt  sure  that  nothing  more  would  be 
necessary  than  a  retired,  quiet  life  for  a  few  months,  to 
prepare  her  to  give  Henry  a  joyful  and  affectionate  wel 
come  on  his  return.  Circumstances,  however,  made  it 
impossible  for  me  to  give  up  my  ship  at  that  time,  and, 
at  the  earnest  request  of  the  directors  of  the  company 
(in  which  I  had  invested  a  considerable  portion  of  my 
savings)  I  consented  to  make  one  or  two  more  cruises. 
Accordingly,  I  sailed  for  the  East  Indies  for  the  last  time, 
and  made  a  very  speedy  and  prosperous  voyage.  I  con 
tinued  my  inquiries  for  Henry  Thayer,  but  was  unable  to 
obtain  any  tidings  of  him.  On  my  return,  I  called  to  see 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     U& 

Annie,  and  found  her  occupying  her  old  position  as  music 
teacher  in  Brooklyn.  She  said  that  Mrs.  Pattmore  had 
urged  her  so  strongly  to  visit  them  that  she  had  accepted 
the  invitation  twice  during  my  absence. 

"  I  had  hardly  reached  New  York,  before  I  was  hurried 
away  again ;  my  ship  was  hastily  loaded  with  a  cargo  for 
Rio  Janeiro,  and  I  again  sailed  in  command.  The  trip 
was  a  speculative  venture,  which  resulted  very  profitably, 
and,  on  my  return,  I  asked  to  be  relieved  from  further 
service.  I  was  then  fifty-three  years  of  age,  and  I  needed 
rest.  The  company  treated  me  very  handsomely,  and  I 
sold  my  shares  at  a  high  valuation.  Having  settled  my 
affairs  with  the  company,  I  hurried  off  to  see  Annie;  but 
I  was  surprised  to  find  that  she  had  moved  to  Greenville, 
where  she  was  teaching  music  to  Mr.  Pattmore's  younger 
children. 

"  I  had  bought  a  farm  near  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
sometime  previous,  and,  learning  that  there  was  some 
slight  inaccuracy  in  the  deed,  I  went  to  New  Haven  to 
consult  a  lawyer  —  your  friend,  Mr.  Chapman  —  relative 
to  the  title.  While  there,  I  wrote  to  Annie,  asking  her 
to  come  and  live  on  the  farm  with  me.  She  immediately 
replied  that  she  was  under  an  engagement  as  teacher  for 
six  months,  and  that  she  could  not  leave  Greenville  until 
the  end  of  that  time.  She  said  that  Lucy  had  asked  her 
to  pay  a  visit  to  Morristown,  but  that  she  had  been  obliged 
to  decline  the  invitation  for  the  same  reason.  In  con 
clusion,  Annie  begged  me  to  visit  her  in  Greenville. 

"As  soon,  therefore,  as  I  had  settled  my  business  affairs, 
I  went  to  Greenville  to  stay  a  few  days.  Annie  seemed 
very  glad  to  see  me,  and  appeared  to  be  in  excellent 


134          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

health.  I  repeated  my  proposal,  that  she  should  come  to 
keep  house  for  me  on  my  farm,  and  she  seemed  favorably 
disposed  toward  the  arrangement,  though  she  asked  time 
to  think  about  it.  I  told  her  that  at  my  death,  I  should 
leave  her  all  my  property,  and  that,  meantime,  she  should 
have  everything  she  wished.  I  also  tried  to  talk  to  her 
about  Henry,  but  she  refused  to  say  much,  and  seemed 
desirous  to  believe  that  he  was  dead. 

"  I  found  that  she  had  very  little  to  do  as  a  teacher,  the 
children  being  too  young  to  study;  but  she  was  much 
attached  to  Greenville,  as,  to  use  her  own  words,  '  there 
were  so  many  fashionable  people  there,/  She  used  to  go 
out  driving  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pattmore,  and  sometimes 
with  Mr.  Pattmore  alone,  often  going  as  far  as  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  into  the  country.  I  did  not  at  all  like  the 
way  she  was  acting,  and  I  determined  to  use  every  effort 
to  induce  her  to  return  to  Massachusetts  with  me.  This 
visit,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  took  place  about  two  months  ago. 

"  After  remaining  in  Greenville  a  few  days,  I  went  to 
visit  Lucy  in  Morristown.  We  had  a  long  talk  together 
about  Annie,  and  finally,  Lucy  confided  to  me  that  she 
feared  that  Annie  was  enceinte. 

'"Good  heavens,  Lucy!  that  is  impossible!'  I  ex 
claimed.  '  Our  family  has  never  had  such  a  disgrace  cast 
upon  it  before ;  it  has  always  maintained  its  purity.  No, 
no;  it  can't  be  possible.' 

"  'I  am  not  sure  of  it,'  said  Lucy ;  '  but  I  know  there  is 
something  wrong  with  her,  and  I  greatly  fear  that  she  is 
a  ruined  woman.' 

"  I  hardly  knew  what  to  say  or  do,  the  mere  suspicion 
was  such  a  terrible  blow." 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      19S 

Here  the  Captain  became  greatly  affected ;  the  perspira 
tion  started  on  his  forehead  in  large  beads,  and  he  often 
made  long  pauses,  as  he  continued.  His  emotion  would 
sometimes  entirely  overcome  him,  so  that  he  could  not 
speak. 

"  Well,"  he  went  on,  "  Lucy  wrote  to  Annie,  and  back 
came  the  answer  fully  confirming  the  horrid  suspicion. 
Annie  freely  confessed  that  she  was  enceinte,  and  that 
Pattmore  was  the  father  of  her  unborn  child.  She  said 
that  she  and  Pattmore  dearly  loved  each  other,  and  that 
she  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  separating  from  him. 

"  My  first  impulse  was  to  curse  her  and  never  see  her 
again ;  but  my  old  love  for  her  could  not  be  set  aside, 
and  pity  soon  took  the  place  of  anger.  I  could  see  that 
Pattmore  had  thrown  a  spell  around  her  by  his  fascinat 
ing  manners,  and  she  was  completely  under  his  influence. 
I  determined  to  save  her  from  exposure  and  disgrace,  if 
possible,  and,  therefore,  started  for  Greenville  immedi 
ately.  I  had  intended  to  speak  to  Annie  in  a  severe  and 
indignant  tone,  but  she  rushed  to  meet  me  with  such  a 
glad  little  cry  that  my  anger  melted  away,  and  tears 
sprang  unbidden  to  my  eyes. 

" '  Oh  !  Annie!  Annie!'  I  exclaimed,  'what  have  you 
done  !  How  has  this  man  acquired  such  a  terrible  power 
over  you  as  to  make  you  forget  your  marriage  vows  and 
live  a  life  of  infamy  with  him  ?  Have  you  no  stings  of 
conscience  ?  Think  how  our  sainted  mother  would  feel 
if  she  could  see  her  little  Annie  in  the  power  of  a  heart 
less  libertine.  Return  with  me  at  once,  and  I  will  forget 
everything.  In  the  seclusion  of  my  farm,  you  need  not 


186          PINKER  TON'S  DETtiL     7Vh   S'l  OROL  S. 

fear  the  fiery  tongue  of  scandal,  and  1  will  be  a  father  to 
your  child.' 

"  She  stood  with  downcast  eyes  while  I  was  speaking, 
but  when  I  had  finished  she  began  a  vehement  defense 
of  her  conduct,  in  the  course  of  which  she  repeated  all 
the  usual  arguments  of  those  who  wish  to  ease  their  con 
sciences  when  on  the  downward  path. 

"  Mr.  Pattmore,  she  said,  was  a  perfect  gentleman ;  he 
loved  her,  and  she  returned  his  affection  ;  it  was  true, 
unhappily,  that  they  were  both  married,  but  nature  had 
intended  them  for  each  other,  and  she  preferred  to  obey 
the  laws  of  nature  to  those  of  society ;  Mrs.  Pattmore 
was  a  very  fine  woman,  but  she  could  not  make  her 
husband  happy. 

"  The  doctrine  of  free-love  was  fully  endorsed  by 
Annie,  who  had  learned  it  all  by  heart,  and  she  advanced 
the  most  extraordinary  theories  in  justification  of  her 
conduct. 

"  For  years,  she  said,  she  had  held  the  first  place  in 
Pattmore's  heart,  and  he  had  lavished  his  money  upon 
her  freely ;  the  diamond  ring  I  had  seen,  the  rich  dresses 
she  had  worn,  a  valuable  necklace,  and  many  other 
articles  of  jewelry  were  among  the  gifts  he  had  showered 
upon  her;  they  loved  each  other  as  husband  and  wife, 
and  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Pattmore  should  die,  Mr.  Pattraore 
would  make  Annie  his  legal  wife. 

"I  saw  that  she  was  completely  infatuated,  but  I 
endeavored  to  show  her  how  false  her  reasoning  was,  and 
to  what  wicked  conclusions  it  would  lead.  I  asked  if  she 
had  forgotten  Henry,  who  was  liable  to  return  at  any 
moment ;  she  could  not  m<  ny  until  she  obtained  ft 


TH&  MURDERER  AND  FOt"      *E  TELLER.     187 

divorce.  Besides,  the  fact  thr.t  they  were  looking  forward 
to,  and  wishing  for  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death,  was  almost 
equivalent  to  committing  murder,  since  to  desire  any 
person's  death  was  morally  as  bad  as  to  murder  that 
person. 

"  We  had  a  long  conversation,  and  finally  Annie  agreed 
to  join  me  in  Springfield  in  a  short  time.  I  therefore 
returned  to  the  farm  and  prepared  to  settle  down.  I 
received  no  reply  to  several  letters  which  I  wrote  to 
Annie,  but  at  last  she  sent  me  a  short  note  saying  that 
she  had  changed  her  mind,  and  that  she  should  stay  in 
Greenville.  I  immediately  replied  that  I  would  not 
permit  her  to  remain  there  any  longer,  and  I  then  went 
to  consult  Mr.  Chapman  about  the  matter.  He  acknowl 
edged  that  he  could  do  nothing,  as  Annie  was  her  own 
mistress ;  but  he  advised  me  to  see  you,  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
and  obtain  your  advice  and  assistance  As  it  was  a  very 
delicate  matter,  affecting  the  honor  of  my  family,  I  did 
not  like  to  speak  about  it  ':o  a  third  party,  as  I  feared  that 
th«?  story  might  be  made  known  publicly,  and  Annie's 
reputation  would  then  be  ruined.  I  therefore  told  him 
that  I  should  not  consult  you  if  I  could  possibly  avoid 
doing  so. 

"  While  I  was  inwardly  debating  what  was  best  to  be 
done,  I  received  a  note  from  Annie,  nr.-.ing  me  to  come 
to  her,  as  che  feared  that  something  cerious  was  about  :o 
happen.  I  went  at  once  to  Greenville,  and  found  that 
she  had  decided  to  remove  the  evidence  of  her  guilt  by 
performing  an  abortion.  I  tried  hard  to  dissuade  her 
from  a  step  which  might  result  in  her  own  death,  but  she 
was  resolute  in  her  determination  not  to  wait  for  the 


126          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

child's  natural  birth.  She  said  that  if  I  would  stay  with 
her  until  she  recovered,  she  would  return  to  Springfield 
with  me  and  never  see  Pattmore  again.  She  spoke  very 
feelingly  about  Henry,  and  she  seemed  so  deeply  and 
truly  penitent  that  I  was  finally  won  over  to  her  wishes, 
and  I  agreed  to  stay  with  her  until  she  had  an  operation 
performed.  I  determined  to  take  her  to  stay  with  Lucy, 
at  Morristown,  at  first,  and  she  accordingly  prepared  to 
leave  Greenville. 

"She  had  a  long  private  interview  with  Pattmoro  before 
leaving,  and  when  she  came  out  I  saw  she  had  been 
shedding  bitter  tears.  As  I  stepped  io  the  office  desk  to 
pay  my  bill,  I  saw  Pattmore  in  the  clerk's  room  back  of 
the  office,  and  he,  too,  seemed  very  much  dejected.  I 
could  hardly  keep  my  hands  off  hie  throat  when  I  recol 
lected  his  villainy ;  but  I  curbed  my  temper  by  a  great 
effort,  as  I  knew  that  a  personal  encou-.er  between  us 
would  only  publish  my  sister's  shame  to  the  world.  On 
our  arrival  in  Morristown?  Lucy  and  I  had  a  long  talk 
with  Annie,  which  was  far  from  satisfactory  to  me>  as  I 
saw  that  she  vv^as  still  infatuated  with  Pattmore. 

"  I  thought  best  to  go  some  distance  away  from  the 
places  where  we  were  known  during  Annie's  trial,  and  I 
therefore  brought  her  to  Chicago.  Here  I  obtained  board 
in  a  very  respectable  family,  where  there  were  only  a  few 
other  boarders.  Annie  did  not  show  her  condition  in 
her  appearance  at  all,  and  no  one  could  possibly  have 
suspected  her.  I  found  a  physician  named  Enfield,  who 
was  a  noted  operator  in  such  cases,  and  Annie  at  once 
placed  herself  under  his  treatment. 

"I  knew  that  I  was  about  to  assist  in  committing  a 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      1M 

great  crime,  yet  I  felt  that  I  must  shield  Annie  at  all 
hazards,  and  so  I  yielded  to  her  wishes  in  the  matter. 
Enfield  was  an  expert  in  such  matters,  and,  in  a  short 
time,  he  brought  Annie  through  in  safety.  She  was 
recovering  fast,  when  one  day,  on  entering  her  room,  I 
found  Pattmore  there.  I  went  out  instantly,  as  I  was 
afraid  to  trust  myself  in  the  same  room  with  him ;  but, 
when  he  had  gone  away,  I  besought  Annie  never  again  to 
admit  him  to  her  presence.  She  would  make  no  promises, 
and  finally,  she  fell  back  in  a  swoon.  On  recovering,  she 
said  that  she  would  die  if  she  could  not  see  Pattmore, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  drop  the  subject  until  she  should 
become  stronger.  Pattmore  remained  in  town  two  days, 
and  she  insisted  on  having  him  with  her  a  great  deal  of 
the  time. 

"  I  fear  that  you  will  consider  me  very  weak  and  foolish 
for  permitting  this ;  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  refuse 
Annie  anything.  I  knew,  moreover,  that,  in  such  a  case, 
harsh  measures  would  only  add  fuel  to  the  flame,  and  so 
I  continued  to  humor  her,  trusting,  that  in  time,  she 
would  gradually  recover  her  normal  condition,  and  see 
the  folly  of  her  conduct. 

"  Pattmore  told  her,  during  his  visit,  that  he  was  in 
great  hopes  of  receiving  the  democratic  nomination  to 
Congress;  and,  as  the  democratic  party  had  a  large 
majority  in  that  district,  the  nomination  would  be 
equivalent  to  an  election.  He  also  said  that  his  wife 
was  in  failing  health,  and  that  she  seemed  to  grow  weaker 
every  day.  I  could  see  by  Annie's  manner,  when  she 
told  me  this,  that  she  hoped  to  be  Pattmore's  partner  in 
9 


130          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

enjoying  the  gay  life  of  the  National  Capital,  though  she 
did  not  say  so  directly. 

"One  day,  she  brought  up  the  subject  of  wills,  and 
said  that  she  thought  every  one  owning  property,  ought 
to  make  a  will.  She  said  that  otherwise  a  man's  property, 
in  case  of  sudden  death,  might  be  eaten  up  by  the  lawyers 
and  court  officials.  I  admitted  the  justness  of  her  re 
marks,  and  told  her  that  I  should  follow  her  suggestion. 
I  was  obliged  to  go  East  on  business  for  a  few  days  at 
this  time,  and,  on  the  way,  I  left  a  letter  and  package 
with  Pattmore,  which  Annie  had  asked  me  to  deliver. 
While  in  New  Haven,  I  employed  Mr.  Chapman  to  draw 
up  my  will.  Lucy  had  asked  me  to  leave  all  my  property 
to  Annie,  as  she  had  enough  for  herself  and  children, 
while  Annie  had  no  one  to  look  to  for  an  honest  support, 
except  myself;  accordingly,  I  made  my  will  in  that  way. 

"  On  my  return  to  Chicago,  I  hurried  to  our  boarding 
house  to  see  Annie,  and,  to  my  intense  disgust,  I  found 
Pattmore  with  her.  The  sight  of  him  fondling  my  poor 
sister,  was  too  much  for  me:  and,  although  I  succeeded 
in  restraining  myself  from  doing  him  any  personal 
violence,  I  used  the  most  severe  language  possible  in 
characterizing  his  villainy,  and  in  expressing  my  contempt 
for  him.  I  concluded,  by  telling  him  that  the  affair  must 
end  then  and  there ;  that  he  must  never  address  my  sister 
again,  or  attempt  to  see  her ;  and  that  if  he  dared  to 
disregard  my  demand,  he  must  take  the  consequences. 
They  both  hung  their  heads  guiltily,  while  I  was  speaking, 
and  when  I  closed,  Pattmore  quitted  the  room  without  a 
word.  I  found  that  he  left  town  the  same  day. 

"  I  also  went  out  of  the  house  immediately,  being  too 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      151 

excited  to  talk  calmly  to  Annie;  but  I  returned  after 
supper,  and  reasoned  with  her  as  gently  as  possible  on 
the  impropriety  and  wickedness  of  her  conduct.  She 
seemed  to  feel  very  sorry,  and  was  so  penitent  that  my 
hopes  of  saving  her,  rose  considerably.  She  promised, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes,  to  overcome  her  unholy  love  for 
Pattmore,  and  never  to  see  him  again.  I  noticed,  however, 
that  when  I  spoke  of  my  efforts  to  obtain  tidings  of 
Henry,  she  was  very  indifferent;  but  she  promised  to 
return  to  Springfield  with  me  as  soon  as  she  was  able  to 
travel,  and  matters  began  to  look  more  cheerful  for  the 
future. 

"A  day  or  two  after,  she  received  a  letter  from  Pattmore, 
saying  that  his  wife  was  seriously  ill,  and  that  the  physi 
cians  considered  her  life  in  danger. 

"  '  What  is  the  matter  with  her?'  I  asked. 

"  '  I  don't  know,'  she  replied;  'Mr.  Pattmore  does  not 
state  what  is  her  disease.' 

"  I  then  spoke  very  harshly  about  Pattmore,  and  said 
that  he,  above  all  other  men,  was  hateful  to  me,  because 
he  had  ruined  her.  She  replied  in  his  defense,  and,  as 
our  conversation  seemed  likely  to  become  bitter,  I  walked 
out  to  allow  time  for  both  our  tempers  to  cool  off.  On 
my  return,  I  found  that  Annie  had  gone  out  for  the  first 
time,  since  her  illness,  but  she  soon  came  in,  saying  that 
she  had  taken  a  short  walk  for  exercise.  She  had  regained 
her  good  humor,  and  seemed  more  like  herself  than  she 
had  for  sometime.  She  again  brought  up  the  subject  of 
wills,  and  I  told  her  that  I  had  made  my  will  while  I  was 
in  New  Haven.  She  asked  me  about  it,  and  I  told  her 
that  I  had  made  her  my  sole  legatee,  and  that  she  would 


182          PINKERTON'S 

be  in  comfortable  circumstances  when  I  died.  She  seemed 
very  much  pleased  at  this,  and  said  I  was  a  dear  eood 
brother;  but  she  hoped  it  might  be  a  lone;  time  before 
she  should  become  heiress  to  my  property. 

"'Who  knows?'  she  said,  laughing;  'perhaps  I  may 
die  first.' 

'"That  is  possible,'  I  said,  'but  not  probable.  In  the 
course  of  nature,  I  ought  to  die  many  years  before  you ; 
and  sailors  are  proverbially  short-lived.' 

"'Oh,  nonsense!'  she  replied,  'you  are  so  salted  and 
tanned  that  you  will  last  fifty  years  yet.' 

"  She  then  skipped  gaily  into  the  next  room  and 
brought  out  a  bottle  of  ale,  to  reward  me,  as  she  said,  for 
being  good.  She  poured  out  a  glass  for  each  of  us,  and 
we  drank  to  each  other's  good  health.  In  about  half  an 
hour  I  became  very  sick;  1  vomited  and  retched  terribly, 
while  my  bowels  seemed  to  be  on  fire.  The  weather  was 
very  warm,  and  I  attributed  my  illness  to  some  fruit  1  had 
eaten,  which  the  ale  had  disagreed  with.  1  suffered 
agony  all  night,  but  toward  morning  I  became  quieter  and 
the  pain  gradually  left  me. 

"  At  daylight  1  casually  glanced  at  my  ring,  and  I  was 
surprised  to  see  that  the  stone  had  turned  to  a  creamy 
white  —  a  sure  sign  that  my  life  was  in  danger.  You  will 
call  me  foolish  and  superstitious,  I  know,  but  1  cannot 
help  it.  A  belief  in  the  virtues  of  this  ring  is  a  part  of 
my  very  nature,  and  it  has  always  been  an  unerring  guide 
to  me.  This  ring  invariably  predicts  my  good  or  bad 
fortune."  And  so  speaking  the  Captain  held  the  ring  out 
for  me  to  see  it 

I  looked  him  straight  in  the  face,  expecting  to  see  some 


7 HE  MURDERER  AND  i<  OR  TUNE  7  ELLER.     188 

signs  of  insanity,  or  at  least  monomania,  in  his  eyes,  but 
there  were  none.  He  was  evidently  perfectly  rational, 
and  this  belief  was  apparently  as  natural  to  him  as  a 
belief  in  a  hereafter,  or  in  any  other  religious  doctrine,  is 
to  other  people.  After  a  short  pause,  as  I  glanced  at  the 
ring,  he  continued : 

"  Now,  you  can  see  nothing  strange  in  that  stone,  Mr. 
Pinkerton,  but  i  can.  From  its  appearance  I  can  obtain 
warning  01  approaching  good  or  bad  lortune.  Away  out 
at  sea,  when  a  storm  is  coming,  the  stone  turns  black; 
when  enemies  are  near  me  it  turns  the  color  of  blood , 
and  when  I  am  in  danger  of  death,  it  becomes  a  creamy 
white. 

"  My  father  once  saved  the  life  of  a  Sepoy  soldier,  and, 
as  a  mark  of  gratitude,  the  latter  presented  my  father 
with  three  rings  of  wonderful  powers.  The  Sepoy  said 
that  he  had  obtained  them  from  a  Hindoo  hermit,  far  out 
in  the  jungle.  I  have  long  tried  to  find  other  rings  pos 
sessing  the  same  qualities,  but  have  never  succeeded. 
One  of  these  rings  was  buried  with  my  mother,  one  with 
my  father,  and  I  have  the  third." 

I  looked  at  the  ring  carefully,  but  could  see  nothing 
remarkable  about  it.  The  stone  was  an  opal,  set  in  a 
heavy  gold  band,  peculiarly  chased ;  but,  aside  from  the 
popular  superstition  with  regard  to  opals,  there  was 
nothing  which  would  lead  me  to  suppose  that  it  possessed 
any  exceptional  powers. 

''When  I  saw  you  last,"  continued  the  Captain,  "I 
meant  to  have  asked  you  to  have  this  ring  buried  with 
me,  in  case  I  died;  but  1  was  afraid  you  would  consider 


134  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

the  request  too  foolish.  I  wished  it  buried  with  me 
because  I  did  not  wish  Annie  to  have  it." 

"  But  why  do  you  think  Annie  would  take  it?"  I  asked. 

"Because  I  know  she  wants  it,"  replied  Captain 
Sumner.  "  She  thinks  that  it  would  enable  her  to  make 
Pattmore  love  her  always,  and  so  she  wishes  to  own  it. 
Now,  I  think  Pattmore  is  a  villain,  and  I  wish  to  sepa 
rate  her  from  him  and  destroy  his  influence  over  her. 
Therefore  I  do  not  wish  her  to  get  the  ring,  since  its  pos 
session  will  induce  her  to  continue  her  connection  with 
that  man." 

I  confess  that  I  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  the 
Captain.  If  he  was  insane,  he  certainly  had  the  most 
impenetrable  mask  over  his  insanity  that  I  had  ever 
seen.  His  eyes  were  so  bright,  clear  and  honest,  that  the 
most  experienced  physiognomist  in  the  world  would  have 
failed  to  observe  the  slightest  trace  of  cunning,  or  want 
of  a  balanced  mind  in  their  expression.  During  the 
progress  of  his  story  he  had  continually  held  his  ring 
where  he  could  see  ft,  and  several  times  had  raised  it  to 
the  light,  in  a  contemplative  sort  of  way,  as  if  he  drew 
some  satisfaction  from  its  appearance.  He  bowed  his 
head  in  his  hands  as  he  ceased  speaking,  and  some 
moments  elapsed  before  he  looked  up,  though  when  he 
did  so  he  was  perfectly  calm. 

"  Captain,  did  you  find  the  ring  of  any  practical  value 
at  sea?'.'  I  asked. 

"  Yes ;  often  it  has  apprised  me  of  a  coming  storm  in 
time  to  prepare  for  it.  I  have  thus  passed  in  safety 
through  many  sudden  gales  of  the  approach  of  which  I 
have  been  warned  only  just  in  time  to  save  my  ship, 


7 HE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELULR.      Utt 

My  men  always  had  perfect  confidence  in  my  ability  to 

weather  the  heaviest  gale." 

"Well,  Captain,  if  you  should  give  that  ring  to  me 
would  it  be  equally  prophetic  in  my  hands?"  I  asked. 

"But  1  will  not  give  it  to  you  nor  any  one  else;  nor 
will  I  part  with  it,  even  in  death  if  I  can  help  it,"  replied 
the  Captain.  "  The  Sepoy  told  my  father,  that  he  must 
never  allow  the  rings  to  go  out  of  his  family,  as  they 
would  then  lose  their  powers.  I  know  that  the  fancy 
seems  strange  to  you,  and,  no  doubt,  you  think  I  am  not 
exactly  sane ;  but  I  have  proved  the  power  of  the  ring  so 
often,  that  I  know  its  virtues,  and  believe  in  them.  I  may 
be  able  to  satisfy  you  of  its  value  by  a  practical  demon 
stration  yet." 

I  saw  that  he  was  not  insane,  but  terribly  superstitious, 
so  I  made  no  further  remarks  about  the  ring.  He  drew 
his  chair  closer  toward  me,  and  said  in  a  low,  painful 
whisper : 

"Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  have  positive  knowledge  that  Annie 
has  attempted  to  poison  me  three  times.  She  put  poison  in 
that  ale;  she  afterwards  gave  me  some  in  a  cup  of  coffee; 
and,  the  third  time,  it  was  administered  so  secretly,  that 
I  do  not  know  when  I  took  it.  The  first  time,  1  recovered 
because  the  dose  was  too  large,  and  I  vomited  up  the 
poison  so  soon  that  it  had  not  time  to  act.  The  second 
time,  I  took  only  a  sip  of  the  coffee,  and  found  that  it 
tasted  bitter,  so  I  threw  it  away,  though  the  little  I  had 
taken  distressed  me  exceedingly.  The  third  time,  I 
nearly  died,  and  it  was  only  by  the  prompt  attendance  of 
a  physician  that  I  was  saved.  He  said  it  was  a  metal 
poison  which  probably  came  off  from  a  copper  kettle  in 


Ibfe  .flNkbRTON'S  DETECTIVE 

which  some  truit  had  been  cooked.  Neither  he,  nor  any 
one  el«e,  ever  suspected  that  I  had  been  poisoned  inten 
tionally  When  I  recovered,  I  accused  Annie  of  trying 
to  poison  me ;  she  denied  it  vehemently  at  first,  but  I 
said  to  her : 

" '  Annie,  the  ring  tells  me  that  I  have  an  enemy  near 
me,  and  you  must  be  that  enemy.' 

*  1  spoke  as  if  positive  of  her  guilt,  and,  as  she  is  a 
firm  believer  in  the  ring,  she  finally  burst  into  tears  and 
confessed  having  given  me  poison  at  three  different  times. 
On  her  knees,  she  begged  my  forgiveness,  and  thanked 
God  that  my  life  had  been  spared.  She  was  so  broken 
down  by  the  thought  of  her  unnatural  and  wicked  pur 
pose,  that  I  feared  that  she  would  have  a  relapse  into 
sickness.  She  seemed  so  wholly  contrite,  that  I  thought 
she  would  never  undertake  such  a  terrible  crime  again, 
and  I  freely  forgave  her." 

I  looked  at  the  Captain  in  perfect  amazement,  hardly 
able  to  credit  my  own  senses. 

"Can  it  be  possible,"  I  asked,  "that  your  sister 
admitted  that  she  had  tried  to  poison  you  ? " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Captain;  "and  she  said  that 
Pattmore  had  encouraged  her  to  put  me  out  of  the  way. 
He  had  told  her  that  he  would  marry  her  when  his  wife, 
(who  was  now  dying)  was  dead;  that  I  was  bitterly 
opposed  to  him,  and  would  never  consent  to  their 
marriage;  that  if  she  would  poison  me,  they  would  be 
married  and  go  to  California  to  live ;  and,  therefore,  that 
it  would  be  well  for  her  to  poison  me  before  Mrs.  Pattmore 
died" 


..t.Ai  i   AN 

"What!"  I  exclain.ea,  ''is  Mrs.  Psttmore  dyin^. 
What  is  her  disease'1 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  the  Captain  ;  "  but  .1  fear  that 
she,  also,  has  been  poisoned." 

"  How  long  is  it  since  you  had  this  talk  with  Annie  r'1 
x  inquired. 

"About  three  days  ago,  and  she  has  been  sick  abed 
with  excitement  and  remorse  ever  since.  She  say?  that 
she  expects  to  hear  of  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death  at  any  time, 
and  she  is  sure  that  Pattmore  has  poisoned  her.  Mr. 
Chapman  told  me,  when  I  last  saw  him,  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
that  you  were  the  only  person  who  could  help  me ;  and  so 
I  have  come  to  you  to  save  Mrs.  Pattmore  and  my  sister. 
I  feel  that  Mr.  Chapman  was  right,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  and  I 
beg  you  to  give  me  your  assistance  —  1  will  pay  you 
liberally." 


CHAPTER 

WHEN  the  Captain  had  finished  his  almost  incredi 
ble  story,  I  hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  it.  It 
was  impossible  to  doubt  his  word ;  yet  it  seemed  almost 
equally  hard  to  believe  that  his  sister  could  have  tried  to 
murder  him.  Pattmore's  intention  of  killing  his  wife  in 
order  to  marry  Annie,  was  another  piece  of  cold-blooded 
villainy  which  was  almost  past  belief.  The  question  fre 
quently  came  into  my  mind :  Are  all  the  parties  in  their 
right  minds?  After  I  had  thought  about  the  matter  in 
silence  a  few  minutes,  I  said : 

"  Well,  Captain  Sumner,  yours  is  certainly  a  strange 
case,  and  I  cannot  give  you  any  answer  until  I  have  had 
time  for  reflection.  Return  in  three  hours  and  I  will 
then  tell  you  my  decision.  1  will  herp  you  if  I  possibly 
can  do  so." 

He  rose  to  go,  but  stopoed  a  moment  as  he  reached 
the  door,  and  said,  with  the  utmost  simplicity  and  confi 
dence  : 

"  JL  know  you  can  help  me  if  you  will  do  sc,  and  nc  rue 
else  can." 

After  he  had  gone,  i  sent  a  man  to  the  Captain's 
boarding  house  with  instructions  to  learn  all  he  coudd 
about  the  boarders.  He  reported  that,  among  others, 
there  was  a  Captain  Sumner  boarding  there  with  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Annie  Thayer.  My  detective  also  learned 
many  things  about  the  Captain  and  his  sister  which  cor- 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  1  UNE  TELLER.      1* 

roborated  the  account  given  by  the  Captain.  Having 
satisfied  myself  that  the  Captain's  story  was  true — in  part 
at  least — I  sat  down  to  reflect  upon  the  strange  medley 
which  he  had  told  me. 

Mrs.  Thayer  had,  undoubtedly,  committed  a  serious 
crime  against  her  husband,  besides  making  the  attempt 
on  her  brother's  life  ;  but  I  could  not  have  her  punished, 
for  her  brother's  object  was  to  save  her  from  the  ruin  in 
which  her  downward  course  would  probably  end.  Patt- 
more,  however,  was  a  dangerous  man,  and  it  would  be 
necessary  to  proceed  with  caution  in  handling  him.  He 
seemed  to  be  a  villain  at  heart,  and  it  was  probable  that 
he  only  sought  Mrs.  Thayer's  society  in  order  to  gratify 
his  sensual  passions.  Perhaps  the  Captain's  suspicion, 
that  Mrs.  Pattmore's  illness  was  caused  by  poison  admin 
istered  by  her  husband,  was  correct ;  if  so,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  act  at  once,  before  she  should  become  his 
victim.  It  was  barely  possible  that  he  might  intend  to 
get  a  divorce  from  his  wife  and  then  marry  Annie ;  but  I 
did  not  consider  this  supposition  a  very  probable  one. 
He  wished  to  be  elected-  to  Congress,  and  he  would  not 
dare  to  give  such  an  opportunity  for  scandal  as  would 
ensue  if  he  attempted  that  course.  No;  poison  had 
been  his  reliance  in  one  case,  and  he  would  not  scruple 
to  make  use  of  it  again.  Mrs.  Thayer  was  probably  well 
informed  as  to  all  his  plans,  but,  evidently,  she  would  not 
willingly  divulge  anything  prejudicial  to  her  lover.  Her 
brother  was  clearly  unable  to  compel  her  to  confess 
anything,  or  he  would  not  have  applied  to  me.  More 
over  he  could  refuse  her  nothing,  and  he  would  certainly 
object  to  any  attempt  to  force  her  to  give  evidence 


140          PINKER  TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

against  her  will.  He  admitted  that  she  was  weak,  vain 
and  thoughtless ;  that  she  had  been  false  to  her  husband; 
and  that  Pattmore  had  completely  bewitched  her;  yet 
the  Captain  resolutely  stood  between  her  and  harm. 

She  could  tell  all  of  Pattmore's  secrets  if  she  were  so 
disposed,  and  it  would  be  easier  to  get  information  out 
'  of  her  than  out  of  him ;  the  question  was — how  shall  I 
go  about  it  ? 

I  reflected  that  she  was  very  superstitious,  as  shown  by 
her  belief  in  the  Captain's  ring;  it  occurred  to  me  that  I 
might  take  advantage  of  that  trait  of  her  character  to 
draw  her  secrets  out.  Why  could  I  not  introduce  a 
fortune-teller  to  her,  and  thus  learn  all  I  wished  to 
know  ?  .  The  idea  seemed  to  me  to  be  admirably  adapted 
to  the  necessities  of  the  case.  I  sketched  out,  in  my 
mind,  a  skeleton  plan  if  operations  about  as  follows  : 

I  should  entrust  the  case  to  one  of  my  female  detec 
tives  ;  she  would  be  posted  upon  all  the  points  of  Mrs. 
Thayer's  history ;  she  would  be  required  to  learn  enough 
of  astrology,  clairvoyance  and  mesmerism,  to  pass  for 
one  of  the  genuine  tribe;  the  plan  would  be  so  arranged 
that  Mrs.  Thayer  would  voluntarily  consult  this  fortune 
teller,  who  would  soon  gain  a  complete  ascendency  over 
her  superstitious  nature  by  revealing  to  her  all  her  past 
life ;  finally  Mrs.  Thayer  could  be  brought  to  tell  all  she 
knew  of  Pattmore  as  a  means  of  aiding  the  sibyl  to  read 
her  future. 

This  plan  seemed  to  me  the  most  feasible  of  any,  and 
I  therefore  decided  to  adopt  it  in  working  up  the  case 
against  Pattmore.  After  all,  he  would  be  the  one  against 
whom  my  efforts  would  be  directed,  Mrs.  Thayer  being 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER      141 

only  an  unconscious  instrument  in  bringuig  him  to  justice. 
In  case  it  could  be  shown  that  he  had  actually  attempted 
tc  murder  his  wife,  I  was  determined  that  he  should  not 
escape  the  swift  vengeance  of  the  law. 

Just  as  I  had  concluded  my  deliberations,  the  Captain 
hurried  into  my  office,  the  perspiration  standing  in  great 
beads  on  his  forehead. 

"  Mr.  Pinkerton,  I  fear  we  are  too  late !  "  he  exclaimed 
in  a  husky  voice.  "Annie  has  just  received  a  telegram 
from  Mr.  Pattmore,  saying  that  his  wite  is  dead." 

"  Dead!  "  I  repeated.  "  Is  it  possible !  When  did  she 
die?" 

"  To-day,"  he  replied. 

"  It  will  be  an  easy  matter  tc  discover  tne  cause  oi  her 
death/  i  said,  atter  a  moment's  pause.  "We  must  have 
a  frost  mortem  examination  held," 

"That  may  be  possible,"  replied  the  Captain;  "but 
you  must  recollect  that  Pattmore  has  a  great  many  friends 
ii  Greenville :  that,  in  iact,  he  is  a  prominent  candidate 
for  the  Democratic  Congressional  nomination ;  and,  even 
if  he  were  supposed  to  be  guilty,  the  party  would  make  a 
strong  fight  to  protect  him,  as  they  could  not  afford  to 
have  him  exposed." 

"Is  it  oossible  ".hat  ie  has  ~c  much  nfluence  as  that?" 
1  asked. 

'"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  Captain ;  "  he  is  a  brilliant  speaker, 
and  a  very  agreeable  man  socially,  so  that  he  makes  many 
friends.  He  is  such  a  wily  scoundrel  that  I  fear  we  shall 
have  speat  difficulty  in  tracing  any  crime  directly  to  him. 
I  do  not  care  whether  he  is  convicted  or  not,  provided  I 


142  PINKER  TON '  S  DE  TECT1 VE  STORIES. 

can  rescue  Annie  from  his  clutches.  He  has  apparently 
cast  a  spell  over  her,  and  she  is  wholly  controlled  by  him." 

"  If  that  is  the  fact,  we  must  use  strategy,  and  under 
mine  his  plot  with  a  deeper  one.  I  will  accept  a  retainer 
from  you,  Captain,  and  then  we  will  proceed  to  work  up 
the  case." 

The  financial  part  of  the  arrangement  having  been 
adjusted,  I  gave  the  Captain  some  advice  as  to  what  he 
should  do.  I  told  him  that  he  must  place  implicit  confi 
dence  in  me,  and  not  try  to  interfere  in  any  manner  with 
my  plans.  If  he  could  not  do  this,  I  should  withdraw  at 
once.  He  must  come  in  to  see  me  often  and  keep  me 
well  informed;  but  he  must  not  expect  me  to  tell  him 
about  my  plans,  any  further  than  1  should  see  fit.  I 
should  try  to  show  Pattmore's  villainous  character  to 
Annie,  and  if  I  could  gather  sufficient  evidence  that  he 
had  poisoned  his  wife,  I  should  bring  him  to  justice.  I 
then  told  the  Captain  that  he  ought  to  have  a  quarrel  with 
Annie,  at  the  end  of  which  he  should  burn  his  will  in  her 
presence,  and  leave  her ;  on  going  out,  he  should  tell  her 
that  he  intended  immediately  to  deposit  his  ready  money 
in  bank,  and  make  a  will  wholly  in  favor  of  Lucy.  This 
would  prevent  Annie  from  again  attempting  his  life,  as 
she  would  have  nothing  to  gain  by  his  death. 

The  Captain  was  satisfied  to  accept  my  conditions,  and 
he  said  that  he  had  full  confidence  in  my  ability.  All 
that  he  desired  was  to  save  Annie  from  the  power  of 
Pattmore,  and  from  the  ruin  which  would  inevitably 
result  from  their  further  intercourse.  He  then  went 
home  to  have  his  quarrel  with  his  sister. 

I  determined    to  send  a  detective    named    Miller,  to 


THE  M  URDERER  AND  f Ok  7  UA&  '1  tiLL^A .       UK 

Greenville,  to  obtain  board  at  the  Pattmore  House,  and, 
if  possible,  to  become  intimate  with  the  proprietor.  This 
part  of  my  plan  would  require  prompt  action,  as  Pattmore 
might  succeed  in  removing  all  evidences  of  his  guilt.  I 
therefore,  sent  for  Mr.  Miller,  and  went  over  all  the  facts 
of  the  case  with  him,  giving  him  full  instructions  as  to 
his  duties.  He  was  to  hail  irom  Bangor,  Maine,  and  to 
represent  that  ne  wished  to  start  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Greenville,  it  the  prospects  were  good.  I  told  him  to 
post  himself  thoroughly  upon  the  qualities  and  prices  of 
all  kinds  of  lumber,  lath,  shingles,  etc.,  and  to  read  up  the 
local  history  of  Bangor.  To  make  matters  easier  for  him, 
I  gave  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  a  lumber  dealer  in 
Greenville,  with  whom  I  was  well  acquainted.  The  next 
day,  Miller  was  ready,  and  he  took  passage  to  Buffalo  by 
steamer,  going  thence  to  Greenville  by  rail.  He  then 
took  a  room  at  the  Pattmore  House,  and  soon  became 
acquainted  with  the  proprietor. 

The  same  day  that  I  gave  Miller  his  instructions,  I  sent 
for  Miss  Seaton,  one  of  the  detectives  in  the  female 
department,  and  ordered  her  to  make  arrangements  to 
take  board  in  the  same  house  with  Captain  Sumner  and 
Mrs.  Thayer.  Miss  Seaton  was  a  brunette,  about  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age ;  she  was  of  agreeable  appearance  and 
pleasing  manners;  she  had  been  a  school  teacher,  and 
was  a  good  judge  of  human  nature.  Mrs.  Warne,  the 
superintendent  of  the  female  department,  said  that  Miss 
Seaton  was  very  sharp,  and  that  nothing  could  escape  her 
piercing  black  eye.  She  was  to  cultivate  Mrs.  Thayer's 
acquaintance,  and  endeavor  to  win  her  confidence.  This 
would  probably  be  a  difficult  task;  but  1  told  Miss  Seaton 


344          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

to  be  patient  and  discreet,  and  not  to  be  discouraged,  if 
she  should  not  be  immediately  successful.  By  pretending 
to  be  in  poor  health,  she  could  obtain  Mrs.  Thayer's 
sympathy,  and  their  progress  toward  intimacy  would  be 
accelerated.  Miss  Seaton  immediately  moved  to  the  City 
Hotel,  whence  she  set  out  to  look  for  a  boarding  place. 
By  a  curious  coincidence,  she  could  not  satisfy  herself 
until  she  came  to  the  house  where  Mrs.  Thayer  was 
boarding  on  the  North  side.  There  she  found  a  pleasant 
room  adjoining  Mrs.  Thayer's,  and  it  suited  her  exactly. 
That  evening  at  supper,  she  was  introduced  to  her  fellow 
boarders,  of  whom  there  were  only  three  besides  the 
Captain  and  his  sister. 

The  employment  of  female  detectives  has  been  the 
subject  of  some  adverse  criticism  by  persons  who  think 
that  women  should  not  engage  in  such  a  dangerous 
calling.  It  has  been  claimed  that  the  work  is  unwo 
manly  ;  that  it  is  only  performed  by  abandoned  women ; 
and  that  no  respectable  woman  who  becomes  a  detective 
can  remain  virtuous.  To  these  theories,  which  I  regret 
to  say  are  quite  prevalent,  I  enter  a  positive  denial. 
My  experience  of  twenty  years  with  lady  operatives  is 
worth  something,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
the  profession  of  a  detective,  for  a  lady  possessing  the 
requisite  characteristics,  is  as  useful  and  honorable 
employment  as  can  be  found  in  any  walk  of  life. 

Previous  to  the  early  part  of  1855,  I  had  never  regu 
larly  employed  any  female  detectives ;  nor  were  women 
engaged  in  that  capacity  in  any  part  of  the  Union.  My 
first  experience  with  them  was  due  to  Mrs.  Kate  Warne, 
an  intelligent,  brilliant,  and  accomplished  lady.  She 


7 HE  M  URDERER  A ND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER       145 

offered  her  services  to  me  in  the  early  spring  of  that  year, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  novelty  of  her  proposition,  I  deter 
mined  to  give  her  a  trial.  She  soon  showed  such  tact, 
readiness  of  resource,  ability  to  read  character,  intuitive 
perception  of  motives,  and  rare  discretion,  that  I  created 
a  female  department  in  the  agency,  and  made  Mrs. 
Warne  the  superintendent  thereof. 

The  work  of  my  female  detectives  is  generally  light. 
Zeal  and  discretion  are  the  principal  requisites,  though 
conscientious  devotion  to  duty,  and  rigid  obedience  to 
orders,  are  also  essential.  They  are  expected  to  win  the 
confidence  of  those  from  whom  information  is  desired, 
and  to  lose  no  opportunity  of  encouraging  them  to  talk 
about  themselves. 

With  regard  to  the  moral  influence  of  their  duties,  I 
say  boldly  that  it  is  in  no  respect  different  from  that  of 
any  other  position  where  women  are  thrown  upon  their 
own  resources.  It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  in  our  social 
system,  that  no  single  woman  or  widow,  dependent  upon 
herself  for  support,  can  escape  a  loss  of  caste  and  posi 
tion  by  working  in  the  ^reat  field  of  business  where  she 
comes  in  competition  and  contact  with  men ;  but,  aside 
from  this  general  prejudice,  there  is  nothing  in  the  detec 
tive's  duties  to  make  her  profession  less  respectable  and 
honorable  than  there  is  in  the  duties  of  a  lady  cashier, 
book-keeper,  copyist,  or  clerk.  The  detective's  tempta 
tions  are  no  greater  than  those  of  any  of  the  foregoing 
who  mingle  with  men  in  their  daily  business ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  safeguards  of  their  virtue  are  much 
more  numerous,  since  all  the  detectives  of  my  agency 

know  that  their  conduct  is  under  constant  surveillance. 
1C 


M«  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

There  are  instances  of  frequent  occurrence  where  great 
criminals  are  successful  in  hiding  all  traces  of  their  guilt 
so  effectually  as  to  make  their  conviction  impossible 
without  the  aid  of  the  female  detective.  Most  of  these 
men  have  wives  or  mistresses  in  whom  they  confide  to  a 
great  extent.  The  testimony  of  these  women,  then, 
become  the  sole  means  by  which  to  convict  the  criminals, 
and  their  testimony  can  be  obtained  in  only  one  way — a 
female  detective  makes  their  acquaintance,  wins  their 
confidence,  and  draws  out  the  story  of  the  crime.  Such 
an  instance  is  sjiven  in  "  The  Expressman  and  the  Detect 
ive,"  hitherto  published. 

I  have  in  my  employ  several  ±adies  01  uncmestionable 
purity  of  life,  who  are  also  amon?  the  most  successful 
operators  on  my  whole  lorce.  1  take  "ueasure  in  offering 
this  tribute  to  their  ability,  and  their  spotless  characters. 

The  next  day  the  Captain  called  to  see  me,  and  said 
that,  according  to  my  advice,  he  had  quarreled  with 
Annie  about  Pattmore,  and  had  worked  himsell  into  a 
great  rage.  Finally,  he  had  torn  up  and  burned  his  will, 
saying  that  he  should  immediately  make  another,  leaving 
everything  to  Lucy. 

"So  far,  so  ^ood,"  said  I ;  "  she  now  will  have  no  motive 
for  poisoning  you,  so  you  can  rest  in  peace." 

The  Captain  stated  further  that  he  had  deposited  in 
bank  a  tew  hundred  dollars  which  he  had  brought  with 
him,  so  that  he  felt  comparatively  safe  for  the  present. 

That  evening  Miss  Seaton  reported  that  Mrs.  Thayer 
had  left  the  house  shortly  after  the  Captain.  Miss  Seaton 
had  followed  her  to  the  post-office,  where  Mrs.  Thayer 
had  deposited  a  letter,  and  had  received  another  at  the 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      14f 

ladies'  window.  She  had  immediately  torn  it  open,  read 
it  hastily,  and  crumpled  it  in  her  hand,  while  slowly 
walking  home.  I  was  very  anxious  to  know  to  whom  she 
had  written,  and  also  who  had  written  to  her.  I  immedi 
ately  wrote  to  Miller  to  watch  Pattmore's  mail,  and  to 
learn  whether  there  were  any  letters  in  it  from  Chicago. 
If  so,  I  wished  him  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  handwriting, 
and,  if  possible,  to  get  possession  of  the  letters  themselves 
long  enough  to  take  copies  of  them. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Sumner  came  in  again,  but 
he  had  nothing  to  report. 

"  Does  Annie  write  much?"  1  asked. 

"  No,  very  little,"  he  replied. 

"Does  she  correspond  with  Lucy?" 

"Sometimes,  but  not  regularly." 

"  Did  she  not  write  a  letter  two  days  ago?"  I  inquired. 

"  No,"  answered  the  Captain  ;  "  but  why  do  you  ask  ?" 

"  Oh !  for  no  particular  reason  ;  however  I  wish  you 
would  write  to  Lucy  and  inquire  whether  she  has  received 
a  letter  from  Annie  lately ;  also  whether  she  has  written 
to  Annie." 

"  Certainly,  I  will  do  so  now,"  said  the  Captain,  and, 
he  straightway  sat  down  to  write  to  Lucy. 

In  a  few  days,  the  Captain  received  a  letter  from  Lucy 
stating  that  no  letters  had  passed  between  her  and  Annie 
for  over  a  month.  This  made  it  certain  that  Lucy  was 
not  Annie's  correspondent. 

Miller  sent  in  a  report  about  the  same  time,  saying  that 
he  had  become  slightly  acquainted  with  Pattmore,  who 
was  deeply  mourning  the  death  of  his  wife.  Even  the 
mere  mention  of  her  name  was  sufficient  to  draw  tear* 


141         P1NKERTWS  DETECTIPE  STORIES. 

to  his  eyes,  and  her  ioss  had  so  severely  affected  him  that 
his  friends  were  afraid  he  would  never  be  the  same  man 
that  he  had  been  during  her  life. 

Miller  had  expressed  an  intention  of  opening  an  office 
in  Greenville,  and  Pattraore  had  given  him  some  valuable 
advice  and  information  relative  to  the  lumber  market  in 
the  interior.  Since  getting  my  letter,  Miller  had  noticed 
that  Pattmore  had  received  four  letters  from  Chicago. 
Miller  said  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  obtain  possession 
of  these  letters,  but  he  should  make  a  great  effort  to  cap 
ture  those  which  might  come  in  the  future.  He  had  taken 
pains  to  cultivate  the  friendsnio  Di  the  clerk  of  the  hotel, 
and  he  was  on  sucti  good  terms  with  him  as  to  find  it  con 
venient  to  pass  a  great  deal  of  time  in  the  office.  He 
had  noticed  that  when  the  clerk  received  the  mail,  all  of 
Pattmore's  letters  were  put  into  a  particular  box  behind 
the  desk,  and  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  secure  some  of 
them. 

I  had  devoted  a  large  amount  of  thought  to  this  singu 
lar  case,  and  I  finally  decided  that  I  would  go  to  Green 
ville  in  person.  I  determined  to  see  the  coroner  and 
find  out  what  kind  of  a  man  he  was.  If  possible,  I  should 
induce  him  to  have  Mrs.  Pattmore's  body  exhumed  and 
an  inquest  held  upon  it. 

I  had  previously  written  to  Mr.  Chapman  to  obtain 
further  information  about  the  Captain  and  his  family,  and 
had  mentioned  his  superstitious  belief  in  the  ring.  I 
said  that  I  was  not  afraid  of  losing  money,  as  the  Cap 
tain  offered  me  more  than  my  usual  scale  of  prices ;  but 
the  Captain's  story  and  his  great  superstition  led  me  to 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      140 

think  that  he  was  a  "wee  bit  daft,"  and  that  there  was 
insanity  in  the  family. 

Mr.  Chapman  replied  that  he  had  known  the  Captain's 
father  and  mother  intimately,  but  there  had  been  no  sign 
of  insanity  in  any  of  their  actions.  They  had  been,  how 
ever,  firm  believers  in  their  rings,  and  had  had  the  rings 
which  they  had  worn  buried  with  them.  They  had  been 
clear-headed,  religious  people,  and  it  was  surprising  that 
they  should  have  had  such  a  superstitious  faith  in  the 
power  of  those  opal  rings.  The  Captain  had  always  been 
an  honorable,  straight-forward  man,  but  he  and  his  sister 
were  even  more  superstitious  than  any  of  the  others. 

"  Well,"  I  thought,  on  reading  Mr.  Chapman's  letter, 
"  the  whole  family  are  a  strange  medley ;  but  I  think  I 
can  turn  their  superstitious  credulity  to  good  account,  in 
»y  efforts  to  learn  whether  Pattmore  poisoned  his  wife." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AS  soon  as  possible,  I  started  for  Greenville,  to  see  the 
coroner;  on  my  arrival,  I  was  so  fortunate,  as  to 
meet  Mr.  Wells,  an  old  friend,  who  had  formerly  been 
sheriff  of  the  county.  He  offered  to  introduce  me  to  his 
successor,  Mr.  Tomlinson,  who  had  once  been  his  deputy. 
Mr.  Wells  was  quite  wealthy,  and  had  retired  from 
business.  Mr.  Tomlinson  was  an  honest,  hard  working 
carpenter,  who  was  thoroughly  reliable  and  zealous. 
Neither  of  these  gentlemen,  however,  had  the  shrewd 
ness  nor  the  experience  necessary  to  detect  criminals  of 
the  character  and  ability  of  Pattmore.  They  were 
perfectly  competent  to  attend  to  the  small  thieves  and 
swindlers  of  the  district,  but  they  were  wholly  ignorant 
and  unsuspicious  of  the  m^ans  by  which  daring  and 
skillful  villains  carry  out  th  -^ians  and  hide  the  evi 
dences  oi  their  crimes. 

They  knew  Mr.  Pattmore  well,  as  he  had  resided  in 
Greenville  for  seven  years.  They  stated  that  he  was  a 
scheming  politician  who  could  not  be  deoended  upon, 
and  that  he  was  trying  to  get  the  Democratic  Nomination 
for  congressman.  Probably,  he  would  not  su-oeed,  but 
he  was  spending  money  freely,  and  he  would,  therefore, 
be  apt  to  get  some  good  office.  He  was  not  wealthy,  but 
he  kept  his  hotel  well,  and  did  a  large  business.  Mr. 
Wells  thought  that  he  used  ail  his  money  as  fast  as  he 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      Ifil 

made  it,  either  in  trying  to  get  votes,  or  in  some  other 
way  outside  of  his  business.  His  wife  had  been  generally 
esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 

I  told  Mr.  Tomlinson  that  I  should  like  to  see  the 
coroner,  and  have  him  investigate  the  causes  of  Mrs. 
Pattmore's  death. 

"Oh!  that  will  be  easy,"  he  replied,  "as  I  know  Van 
Valkenburgh,  the  coroner,  very  well,  and  we  are  on  good 
terms.  He  is  a  warm  friend  -of  Pattmore, —  in  fact,  they 
are  boon  companions.  He  spends  most  of  his  time  in 
idling  about  the  Pattmore  House,  and  only  yesterday, 
they  went  driving  together." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  I ;  "  for  he  will  not  wish 
to  do  anything  to  injure  his  friend.  How  can  I  get  an 
inquest  called?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Mr.  Tomlinson. 

"Suppose  that  I  should  make  an  affidavit  under  an 
assumed  name  ".nd  hand  it  to  you,  could  you  not  serve  it 
on  the  coroner  as  r>  complaint  which  required  his  atten 
tion  r"  i  asked. 

"  No ;  that  would  not  do,  as  it  would  involve  me  in 
difficulty,"  replied  the  sheriff;  "but  if  I  should  hear 
people  talking  about  the  death  of  Mrs.  Pattraore,  and 
hinting  at  foul  play,  it  would  be  my  duty  to  lay  the  matter 
before  the  coroner.  Then  he,  as  a  friend  of  Pattraore, 
could  not  do  otherwise  than  order  an  inquest." 

I  determined  to  act  on  this  suggestion,  and  I  therefore 
telegraphed  to  Mr.  Bangs,  my  General  Superintendent, 
directing  him  to  send  two  of  my  detectives,  Mr.  Green 
and  Mr.  Knox.  to  meet  me  at  the  Clarendon  House  in 
Greenville.  Th~y  L>ft  Chicago  by  the  next  train,  and 


152          riNKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

when  they  arrived  in  Greenville,  I  instructed  them  to  go 
into  the  office  of  the  hotel  and  begin  a  conversation 
about  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death ;  having  told  them  what  I 
wished  them  to  say,  I  sent  them  in.  I  had  previously 
arranged  that  Mr.  Tomlinson  should  be  present.  Accord 
ingly,  they  took  seats  in  the  main  hall  in  front  of  the 
clerk's  desk,  near  which  there  was  a  large  group  of  guests 
and  citizens,  and  began  to  talk  in  loud  tones. 

u  Well,"  said  Knox,  "  there  are  more  cases  of  death  by 
poisoning  than  you  would  suppose.  Now,  there  was  a 
case  in  this  town,  only  a  short  time  ago,  in  which  I  think 
that  poison  was  used." 

"Oh!  you  mean  Mrs.  Pattmore,"  said  Green.  "Yes, 
that  was  a  very  suspicious  affair.  Was  anything  done 
about  it  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Knox ;  "  but  every  one,  who  knows  any 
thing  about  the  circumstances  of  her  death,  believes  that 
she  was  poisoned." 

My  men  were  soon  surrounded  by  an  excited  crowd, 
all  of  whom  were  anxious  to  know  the  grounds  upon 
which  their  suspicions  were  based.  They  replied  in 
vague  terms  and  insinuations,  as  if  they  knew  a  great 
deal  more  than  they  would  tell.  The  news  that  Mr 
Pattrnore  was  suspected  of  having  poisoned  his  wife,  was 
soon  buzzed  all  through  the  Clarendon  House ;  and,  as 
soon  as  the  excitement  had  become  general,  my  men 
slipped  away  and  joined  me  in  my  room. 

Sheriff  Tomlinson  was  immediately  appealed  to  by 
many  citizens  to  require  the  coroner  to  investigate  che 
matter,  and  he  finally  went  to  the  coroner's  office,  accona- 


TH*.  MVRD£&&H  Aft'J  fUK'l  UMtl   1  &LL6&.     15* 

panied  by  quite  a  crowd.  \V  hen  the  coroner  was  informed 
of  the  reports  in  circulation,  he  became  quite  indignant. 

"What!  Pattmore  poison  his  wire.'''  he  exclaimed. 
"  Why,  he  fairly  doted  on  her,  and,  since  her  death,  he 
can  hardly  assuage  his  grief.  He  is  a  gentleman  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  and  his  character  ought  to  be  a 
sufficient  protection  against  so  gross  a  slander.  This  is 
a  contemptible  invention  of  his  political  opponents.  I 
will  soon  vindicate  him,  however,  i  shall  have  Mrs. 
Pattmore's  body  exhumed,  and  shall  call  an  inquest. 
Then,  if  any  one  has  any  charges  to  make,  there  will  be 
an  opportunity  for  them  to  come  forward.  I  will  not 
consent  to  see  a  friend  of  mine  so  vilely  slandered." 

Coroner  Van  Valkenburgh  immediately  wrote  an  order 
to  have  Mrs,  Pattmore's  body  disinterred,  and,  also,  a  call 
for  an  inquest  the  following  dav.  He  had  become  very 
indignant  at  the  idea  of  connecting  his  friend,  Pattmore, 
with  such  a  hideous  crime  :  he.  therefore,  hurried  over  to 
tell  Pattmore  of  the  rumors,  and  of  the  prompt  measures 
he  had  taken  to  prove  their  falsitv.  He  drew  Pattmore 
into  a  private  room  and  told  him  all  that  he  had  heard 
and  done.  He  expected  that  Pattmore  would  thank  him 
heartily  for  his  friendly  action ;  but,  instead,  Pattmore's 
face  turned  very  white,  and  he  asked  who  it  was  that  had 
spread  the  rumors.  The  coroner  said  that  the  sheriff 
and  several  prominent  citizens  had  called  upon  him  to 
investigate  the  rumors  that  were  circulating  at  the  hotels 
^nd  on  the  street.  Pattmore  became  very  much  excited 
when  he  heard  this,  and  pared  up  and  down  in  a  nervous, 
irritable  manner. 

"Well,"  said  Van  Valkenburrii,  "  1  will  hnve  the  body 


154          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

exhumed  to-morrow,  and  when  we  have  disproved  the 
calumny,  this  scheme  of  your  enemies  will  do  you  more 
pood  than  harm." 

"Yes,"  said  Pattmore  ;  "but  my  love  for  my  wife  is  far 
above  all  other  considerations.  It  is  shocking  to  think 
that  her  body  must  be  torn  from  the  grave  to  refute  the 
vile  slanders  of  my  political  opponents.  I  do  not  know 
what  course  you  usually  pursue  in  such  cases,  but  I  would 
not,  for  the  world,  have  her  remains  exposed  to  the  gaze 
of  a  cruel,  heartless  crowd  of  strangers." 

Mr.  Pattmore's  feelings  quite  overcame  him,  at  the 
thought  of  such  desecration,  and  he  wept. 

"  I'll  take  care  of  that,"  said  the  sympathizing  coroner; 
"  1  will  have  Dr.  Forsythe  make  the  examination,  and  his 
testimony  will  be  sufficient  for  the  iury." 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  any  arrangements  you 
may  make,"  said  Pattmore.  "  I  hope  a  good  jury  will  be 
summoned ;  I  do  not  wish  my  wife's  body  to  be  examined 
by  a  lot  of  curiosity  seekers." 

"Your  wishes  shall  be  attended  to,"  replied  the  coro 
ner.  "  I  know  who  are  your  friends  and  I  will  summon 
no  one  else  to  sit  on  the  jury.' ' 

"  Van  Valkenburgh,"  exclaimed  Pattmorc,  seizing  the 
coroner's  hand,  "  1  am  your  friend  for  lite!" 

He  then  led  the  way  to  the  bar-room  and  invited  the 
coroner  to  drink. 

Miller  was  standing  in  the  bar-room  as  the  coroner  and 
Pattmore  passed,  and  noticing  a  haggard,  pallid  expres 
sion  on  the  latter's  face,  he  stepped  up  and  said : 

"Why,  what's  the  matter  Pattmore?  Has  anything 
gone  wrong  with  you  ?" 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  'J.  ELLER.     155 

"  No,  Mr.  Miller,  nothing  very  serious.  Some  of  my 
enemies  have  started  a  story  that  I  am  responsible  for 
my  wife's  death ;  but,  of  course,  there  is  not  a  word  of 
truth  in  it.  The  coroner  has  taken  the  matter  in  charge, 
and  his  verdict  will  soon  set  at  rest  these  scandalous  lies. 
There  is  nothing  too  sacred  for  these  political  harpies 
and  ghouls :  they  literally  have  dragged  the  loved  dead 
from  the  grave  in  the  hope  of  injuring  my  reputation. 
Well,  time  will  show  my  innocence." 

So  saying,  Pattmore  pressed  Miller's  hand  warmly,  as 
if  overcome  with  emotion,  and  passed  into  the  office. 
Mr.  Green  and  Mr.  Knox  were  watching  him,  and  when 
he  went  up  stairs,  he  was  followed  by  Knox,  who  saw  him 
go  into  his  room.  Knox  immediately  came  down  stairs 
and  passed  across  the  street  to  a  corner  where  I  had 
agreed  to  wait  for  him.  Having  heard  his  report  I  said  : 

"  Mr.  Knox,  you  are  a  stranger  here,  so  you  had  better 
go  back  to  see  what  Pattmore  is  doing.  You  can  stum 
ble  into  his  room,  as  if  you  had  mistaken  it  for  your  own. 
Be  quick!"  I  added,  as  he  started,  "for  we  must  keep 
watch  of  him  every  minute  until  the  inquest  has  been 
held." 

"  Knox  rushed  into  the  hotel,  ran  up  stairs  and  hastily 
entered  Pattmore's  room,  where  he  found  Pattmore  writ 
ing  a  letter. 

"  Oh !  I  beg  pardon,"  said  Knox,  "  I  have  mistaken  the 
room,"  and  so  saying,  he  withdrew  and  returned  to  me. 

"  So  he  is  writing  a  letter,  is  he?"  said  I.  "We  must 
learn  the  contents  of  that  letter,  and  I  have  not  a  minute 
to  lose.  Knox,  find  Green  and  Miller  and  bring  them 


166  PlNKERTOfiTS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

over  here  at  once.  Thank  goodness,  it  is  getting  s»  dark 
that  we  shall  not  be  noticed." 

Knox  was  off  like  a  shot,  and  in  a  very  few  rainutes 
all  my  men  were  with  me. 

"Green,'  I  said,  "go  to  your  hotel,  pay  your  bill,  and 
proceed  to  the  Pattmore  House.  When  you  register  your 
name,  you  must  hail  the  clerk  as  an  old  acquaintance. 
This  will  be  an  easy  matter,  as  hotel  clerks  are  known  by 
hundreds  of  people.  Miller,  you  must  be  in  the  office  at 
the  same  time,  and  you  must  both  remain  there  until 
Pattmore  puts  his  letter  in  the  mail-box.  Then,  Green 
you  must  ask  the  clerk  out  to  take  a  drink,  and  while  you 
are  gone,  Miller  must  get  possession  of  the  letter.  When 
you  have  secured  it,  come  over  to  the  Globe  Hotel,  where 
1  am  stopping.1' 

Green  hurried  off  to  the  Clarendon  House  to  get  his 
carpet-bag,  and  Miller  returned  to  the  Pattmore  House. 
I  also  sent  Knox  to  watch  Pattmore,  and  to  follow  him 
wherever  he  might  go,  until  he  retired  for  the  night. 

Soon  after  Miller  reached  the  office,  Pattmore  came 
down  stairs  with  a  letter,  which  Miller  carefully  scruti 
nized,  so  as  to  be  able  to  recognize  it  among  a  group  of 
others. 

'*  Has  the  mail  for  cne  West  closed  yet  /*"  asked 
Pattmore. 

"  No,"  replied  the  clerk,  "  there  is  still  about  an  hour 
to  spare." 

Pattmore  then  dropped  his  letter  into  the  mail-box 
and  went  out.  At  this  moment  Green  stepped  up  to  the 
desk,  registered  his  name,  and  asked  for  a  room.  As  the 
clerk  was  attending  to  his  room  and  baggage,  Green 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      157 

looked  intently  at  him,  as  it  trying  to  recall  his  name. 
Then,  stepping  forward,  he  said,  cordially : 

"Why,  how  are  you ?  When  did  you  come  here?  Let 
me  see ;  the  last  time  I  saw  you  was  at  a  hotel  in  Buffalo, 
wasn't  it?" 

This  was  a  lucky  s:uess,  for  the  clerk  replied  : 

"  Havn't  you  seen  me  since  then  ?  Why,  I  left  there 
over  a  year  ago." 

44  Well,  I'm  right  glad  to  see  you  again,"  said  Green; 
"  step  into  the  bar-room  and  take  a  '  smile  '  with  me." 

<CI  can't  very  well  leave  the  office  just  now,"  said  the 
clerk. 

*'  Oh,  yes  you  can,"  said  Green;  "your  iriend  there 
will  look  after  the  office  for  a  few  minutes  ;  come  along." 

"  Wait  here  until  I  come  back,  will  you  ?"  the  clerk 
asked  Miller,  as  he  went  off  with  Green. 

As  soon  as  the  clerk  had  left  the  office,  Miller  quietly 
extracted  Pattmore's  letter  from  the  box.  He  had 
marked  its  appearance  so  well  that  he  only  needed  one 
glance  to  identify  it  and  he  secured  it  so  quickly  that 
none  of  the  crowd  outside  the  desk  noticed  any  move 
ment  on  his  part.  In  a  tew  minutes  the  clerk  returned 
to  the  desk,  and  Miller  lounged  out  into  the  bar-room, 
whence  he  hurried  over  to  meet  me  at  the  Globe  Hotel. 
He  there  gave  me  the  letter,  which  was  addressed : 
"  Mrs.  Annie  Thayer, 
"  Chicago, 

"  Illinois." 

I  carefully  opened  it  by  a  simple  process,  which  did 
not  leave  any  evidence  that  the  envelope  had  been  tam 
pered  with.  The  letter  began  :  "  My  own  dear  Annie," 


158          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

and  the  writer  went  on  to  caution  Mrs.  Thayer  that  sh* 
must  not  be  alarmed  at  the  news  he  was  about  to  tell  her. 
He  said  that  some  of  his  enemies  had  started  a  report 
that  he  had  poisoned  his  late  wife.  He  had  no  doubt 
that  the  Whig  newspapers  would  spread  and  magnify 
these  reports ;  still,  he  had  no  fears  that  they  would  be. 
of  any  permanent  injury  to  him,  since  his  friend,  coroner 
Van  Valkenburgh,  had  agreed  to  hold  an  inquest,  and 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  proving  his  innocence. 
He  begged  her  to  excuse  the  haste  and  brevity  of  the 
note,  as  he  only  had  time  to  dash  off  a  few  lines  to  assure 
her  that  all  was  well,  and  to  warn  her  not  to  become 
alarmed  at  anything  she  might  see  in  the  newspapers. 
The  letter  was  signed :  "  Ever  your  loving  and  devoted 
husband,  ALONZO  PATTMORE." 

"  Well,  this  is  certainly  strange,"  I  meditated.  "  Her 
'devoted  husband?  eh?  How  can  that  be?  He  has  had 
no  opportunity  to  marry  her  since  his  wife  died ;  hence, 
unless  he  committed  bigamy,  this  title  of  '  husband '  is 
only  assumed  in  anticipation ;  yet  Mrs.  Thayer  is, 
undoubtedly,  beautiful  and  winning,  and  she  may  have 
induced  him  to  ease  her  conscience  by  a  form  of 
marriage,  even  while  his  legal  wife  still  lived.  I  must 
look  into  this  more  closely  on  my  return  to  Chicago." 

I  then  re-sealed  the  letter  and  gave  it  back'  to  Mr. 
Miller,  with  instructions  to  return  to  the  hotel  and  keep  a 
general  watch  on  all  that  went  on.  He  was  not  to  mail 
the  letter  until  early  the  next  morning.  As  Miller  went 
out  Knox  came  in. 

"Well,  Knox,  what  news?"  I  asked. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.     159 

"  Mr.  Pattmore  has  gone  away  in  a  hack,"  replied 
Knox,  breathlessly. 

"What  direction  did  he  take  ?" 

"  He  drove  off  at  a  rapid  rate  toward  the  southern  part 
of  the  town,  and  I  could  not  keep  up,  nor  get  on  behind. 
I  took  the  number  of  the  hack,  though,"  answered  Knox. 

"  That  was  right,"  I  remarked,  as  Knox  paused  to  get 
his  breath. 

"  It  was  number  fifty-two,  and  the  driver  seemed  to  be 
an  Irishman.  He  looked  like  a  genial,  half-grown,  young 
fellow,  and  I  do  not  think  I  shall  have  any  difficulty  in 
pumping  him  when  he  returns,  as  I  know  where  his 
stand  is." 

"  Right  again,"  I  exclaimed.  "  Now  you  had  better 
wait  around  there  until  the  hack  returns ;  then  get  into 
conversation  with  the  driver,  and  ask  him  to  take  a  drink 
in  the  nearest  saloon  ;  while  you  are  talking  with  him, 
you  can  easily  learn  where  Pattmore  went." 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  Knox  left  me,  and,  as  I  was 
greatly  fatigued,  I  went  to  bed  immediately.  Shortly  after 
midnight,  Knox  again  awoke  me. 

"  What  news  ?"  I  asked,  starting  up.  "  Did  you  succeed 
in  learning  anything  from  the  hackman  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Knox;  "he  returned  a  little  before 
eleven  o'clock,  and  I  asked  him  whether  he  knew  where 
there  were  any  young  ladies  I  could  visit.  He  said  that 
he  knew  several  places.  I  then  asked  him  to  take  a 
drink  while  we  talked  about  it.  I  said,  I  judged,  from 
his  appearance,  that  he  was  just  the  young  fellow  who 
could  take  me  where  I  wanted  to  go ;  that  I  was  crossing 
the  street  to  employ  him  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening, 


160          PINKRRTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

when  he  was  taken  by  another  gentleman,  who  probably 
went  to  the  same  kind  of  a  place  that  I  wanted  to  find. 
This  had  confirmed  my  opinion  of  the  hackman,  so  I  had 
decided  to  await  his  return.  'By  the  way,'  I  added,  Svas 
I  right  about  that  gentleman  ?'  The  driver  laughed 
loudly,  and  said  that  that  was  Mr.  Pattmore,  and  that  he 
did  not  go  to  such  places.  He  went  on  to  say  that  Mr. 
Pattmore's  wife  had  been  dead  only  a  few  days,  and  he 
supposed  that  Mr.  Pattmore  had  gone  out  to  pay  the 
grave-digger,  since  his  visit  had  been  made  to  that 
individual  at  the  graveyard  gate." 

"  Did  the  boy  say  whether  Pattmore  saw  the  grave- 
digger?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Knox ;  "  I  pumped  out  all  that  the 
young  fellow  knew.  The  grave-digger  lives  in  a  little 
shanty  close  by  the  graveyard,  and,  on  arriving  there, 
Pattmore  called  the  fellow  to  one  side,  and  conversed 
with  him  in  a  low  tone  for  some  time.  He  then  paid  him 
some  money,  entered  the  hack,  and  told  the  boy  to  drive 
straight  back  to  the  Pattmore  House,  where  Pattmore 
discharged  the  hackman.  I  drew  this  information  out  of 
the  boy  very  easily,  without  appearing  to  take  any  special 
interest  in  the  story.  I  then  told  him  to  drive  me  to 
some  quiet  house  where  I  could  meet  some  young  ladies. 
He  took  me  to  a  place  near  here,  and  I  paid  him  off 
immediately,  saying  that  I  should  spend  the  night  there. 
As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight,  I  came  straight  here, 
without  going  into  the  house  at  all." 

"By  Jove!"  I  exclaimed,  "we  shall  have  some  rough 
work  to-night,  and  we  must  be  quick,  too.  Go  over  to 
the  Pattmore  House,  find  out  from  the  register  what  room 


THE  MURDERER  A  ND  FOR  T  UNE  TELLER.      181 

Green  is  in,  and  wake  him  up  as  soon  as  possible.  Tell 
him  to  come  here,  being  careful  that  no  one  notices  him, 
and  to  be  sure  to  bring  his  pistols.  You  have  yours,  have 
you  not,  Mr.  Knox?" 

"Yes;  do  you  expect  to  need  them?" 

"  It  is  quite  possible,  as  we  shall  have  some  risky  work 
to-night.  I  will  meet  you  outside,  and  you  must  tell 
Green  to  prepare  for  a  march.  Luckily  we  are  all  good 
walkers. 

Knox  hurried  away,  and,  in  a  short  time,  both  of  my 
detectives  joined  me  in  the  street.  We  then  hired  a  hack 
and  drove  to  within  half  a  mile  of  the  graveyard,  where 
I  paid  off  the  hackman,  and  we  entered  the  grounds  of  a 
residence,  standing  some  distance  back  from  the  road. 
My  object  in  entering  these  grounds,  was  to  make  the 
hackman  believe  we  were  stopping  there ;  otherwise,  his 
curiosity  would  have  been  excited  as  to  my  reasons  for 
going  into  the  country  at  that  hour  of  the  night.  As 
soon  as  the  hack  was  out  of  sight,  we  returned  to  the 
highway,  and,  after  a  brisk  walk,  we  reached  the  grave 
yard. 

II 


CHAPTER     V. 

THE  resting  places  of  the  deaa  are  localities  which  I 
do  not  much  care  to  visit  in  the  night.  In  the  day 
time  it  is  different ;  there  is  a  holy  calm  about  a  cemetery 
then  which  impresses  me  with  a  feeling  of  rest,  and  I  can 
really  enjoy  an  hour  or  two  in  quiet  contemplation  of  the 
monuments  and  humble  head-stones  of  a  large  burial 
ground.  But  in  the  night,  even  the  least  superstitious 
person  in  the  world  will  be  awed  by  the  solemnity  per 
vading  our  cities  of  the  dead,  and  will  quicken  his  pace 
as  the  wind  rustles  mournfully  through  the  shrubbery.  I 
never  should  care  to  go  into  a  grave-yard  at  night,  as  a 
matter  of  choice  ;  but  business  is  business,  and  must  be 
transacted,  no  matter  how  unpleasant  the  surroundings 
may  be. 

The  first  difficulty  I  encountered  on  entering  the 
Greenville  cemetery,  was,  that  I  did  not  know  where  Mrs. 
Pattmore's  grave  was  located.  We  therefore  separated 
to  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards,  and 
advanced  through  the  underbrush  across  the  grounds. 
We  arranged,  before  starting,  to  meet  at  a  certain  tall 
tree,  which  stood  up  against  the  sky  in  the  dim  starlight. 
Green  had  gone  only  a  few  rods  when  he  came  upon 
three  men.  Their  smoky  lantern  threw  a  ghastly  light 
upon  their  work,  and  they  were  so  busily  engaged  in 
digging  that  they  did  not  notice  him.  He  quickly  with- 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     1« 

drew  and  hurried  after  me.  It  was  some  time  after  he 
overtook  me  before  we  could  find  Knox,  but  we  finally 
met  and  returned  to  the  place  where  the  body-snatchers 
were  at  work.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  profession 
als,  for  they  had  worked  so  rapidly  as  to  have  nearly  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  the  coffin  out  of  the  grave, 

A  thrill  of  horror  even  now  goes  through  me  as  I  think 
of  that  night ;  the  white  tomb-stones  stood  forth  among 
the  foliage,  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  like  sheeted 
ghosts,  and  the  waving  leaves  gave  them  the  appearance 
of  weird  shapes  in  fantastic  motion.  The  light  of  the 
lantern  feebly  glimmered  in  one  direction,  and  the  body- 
snatchers  flitted  about  like  restless  ghouls  preparing  for  a 
horrible  banquet.  We  approached  as  quietly  as  possible, 
and,  on  emerging  from  the  cover  of  a  copse  of  hazel 
bushes,  we  made  a  general  rush  forward.  The  ghouls 
were  too  quick  for  us,  however,  and  they  ran  away  at  a 
break-neck  speed  which  we  did  not  dare  to  imitate. 
They  had  the  great  advantage  of  knowing  every  foot  of 
the  ground,  while  we  were  continually  obliged  to  dodge 
around  some  obstruction.  First,  Knox  stumbled  head 
long  over  a  low  grave,  and  then  I  became  entangled  in 
some  trailing  vines.  As  I  regained  my  feet,  I  saw  Green 
rising  from  an  encounter  with  a  chain  which  had  tripped 
him,  and  we  simultaneously  abandoned  the  chase.  It 
was  clearly  useless  to  follow  them  further,  but  we  fired  at 
them  with  our  revolvers  in  the  hope  of  frightening  them 
into  a  surrender.  One  of  them  instantly  stopped, 
returned  our  fire,  and  then  continued  his  flight.  This 
satisfied  me  that  they  were  old  hands  at  the  business  of 
grave-robbing,  and  that  they  were  not  to  be  scared  by 


164         PINK&RTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

long-range  pistol  practice.  After  watching  for  a  couple 
of  1  curs,  I  returned  with  my  men  to  the  city,  being  con 
vinced  that  the  body-snatchers  would  not  make  another 
attempt  to  rob  the  grave.  As  I  walked  back,  I  tried  to 
account,  in  my  own  mind,  for  this  new  move  of  Pattmore. 
I  could  not  see  the  advantage  to  be  gained  by  the 
removal  of  Mrs.  Pattmore 's  body,  and  I  retired  to  rest 
with  that  problem  still  unsolved. 

Being  greatly  fatigued,  it  was  eight  o'clock  next  morning 
before  I  awoke.  While  I  was  at  breakfast  Mr.  Miller 
came  in,  but  he  had  nothing  to  report,  except  that  Patt 
more  seemed  greatly  troubled,  and  looked  very  haggard. 
I  ordered  Miller  to  watch  Pattmore  closely,  and  to  engage 
him  in  conversation  as  much  as  possible.  I  then  went  in 
search  of  Sheriff  Tomlinson,  whom  I  soon  found.  Believ 
ing  him  to  be  a  thoroughly  trustworthy  man,  I  related  to 
him  all  that  had  occurred  the  night  before.  He  was 
much  astonished  at  my  story,  and  said  that  he  was  sorry 
I  had  not  asked  him  to  accompany  me,  as  he  knew  the 
graveyard  well.  If  the  body-snatchers  had  been  caught, 
they  might  have  been  able  to  give  very  important  testi 
mony  at  the  inquest.  Pattmore  might  have  been  held  to 
appear  before  the  grand  jury  on  their  testimony  alone. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied ;  "  no  one  regrets  their  escape  more 
than  I  do ;  but  I  am  almost  equally  annoyed  by  the  fact 
that  I  cannot  reach  a  satisfactory  conclusion  as  to 
Pattmore's  motive  in  having  his  wife's  body  carried  off. 
Of  course,  if  the  coroner's  men  should  have  found  the 
body  gone,  every  one  would  suspect  Pattmore  of  having 
had  it  removed.  However,  I  propose  to  solve  the  mystery 


THE  MURDERER  AND  fORTUi/h  TELLER,      lift 

in  some  way.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Tomlinson,  when  do  you 
expect  the  body  to  arrive?" 

"  It  will  be  here  by  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  men  having 
it  in  charge,  will  take  it  directly  to  Coroner  Van  Valken- 
burgh's  office." 

"  I  suppose  he  will  impanel  a  jury,"  I  remarked. 

"  Certainly,"  the  sheriff  replied ;  "  and  it  would  be 
well  for  you  to  be  present  to  watch  the  proceedings. 
Pattmore  must  be  made  to  face  the  music  in  some  way." 

Accordingly,  I  watched  the  coroner's  office  until  I  saw 
the  hearse  arrive,  and,  when  the  coffin  was  carried  in,  I 
followed  it.  The  coroner's  assistants  reported  that  some 
body-snatchers  had  been  at  work,  and  had  attempted  to 
steal  Mrs.  Pattmore's  body,  having  succeeded  in  getting 
the  coffin  nearly  out  of  the  grave ;  but  they  had  evidently 
been  interrupted,  as  they  had  left  all  their  tools  behind, 
and  had  not  tried  to  open  the  coffin.  They  had  been 
more  successful  in  another  case,  however ;  the  body  of  a 
woman  had  been  taken  from  a  grave  in  the  Potter's  Field, 
(which  was  devoted  to  paupers,  etc.)  and  had  been  carried 
to  a  spot  near  Mrs.  Pattmore's  grave.  The  supposition 
was  that  the  robbers,  wishing  to  procure  female  subjects 
for  dissection,  had  chosen  those  two  graves  as  containing 
the  bodies  of  persons  who  had  most  recently  died. 

On  hearing  this  story,  I  saw  through  the  trick  at  a 
glance.  The  sheriff  was  in  the  office,  and  I  beckoned  to 
him  to  join  me  outside. 

"  Mr.  Tomlinson,"  I  said.  "  I  wish  you  to  send  a  man 
to  the  graveyard  to  learn  the  name  of  the  other  woman, 
whose  body  was  found;  get  a  description  of  her  age, 
height,  size,  and  general  appearance,  as  I  feel  sure  that 


156  +lNK**T*N'tS  DEIVCT'V*.  STOR/&&. 


Pattmore's  intention  was,  to  substitute  her  body  for  tn*t 
of  his  wife." 

"By  Jupiter!  that's  so!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Tomlinson; 
"  but  I  should  iever  have  thought  of  ;hat.  I  will  attend 
to  your  request  myself,  wnile  you  can  remain  here  to 
watch  the  proceedings  before  the  coroner.  I  will  go  to 
the  cemetery  and  make  a  thorough  investigation.  It  is 
my  duty  to  become  acouainted  with  ail  the  facts  in  the 
case,"  and  he  started  off,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Green, 
whom  I  sent  with  him. 

In  a  short  time,  Pattmore  walked  into  the  office  and 
sat  down.  He  wore  a  martyr-like  expression,  and,  though 
he  controlled  his  feelings  sufficiently  to  appear  outwardly 
calm,  I  could  see  that,  inwardly,  he  was  racked  with  fear 
and  nervousness. 

The  coroner  hastily  impaneled  a  jury,  consisting  wholly 
of  Pattmore's  personal  and  political  friends.  The  coffin 
was  then  opened,  as  a  matter  of  form,  and  the  jury  merely 
looked  at  the  rapidly  decaying  corpse.  Pattmore  refused 
to  look  at  the  body,  on  the  ground  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  mar  the  sweet  memories  of  his  beloved  wife's  features, 
which  he  had  seen  only  in  the  flush  of  life  and  beauty, 
even  by  a  glance  at  her  merely  mortal  remains  in  their 
present  condition. 

Dr.  Forsythe  testified  that  he  had  attended  the  late 
Mrs.  Pattmore  in  her  last  illness,  and  that  dysentery  was 
the  cause  of  her  death.  He  was  corroborated  by  another 
physician  who  had  been  in  consultation  with  Dr.  Forsythe 
during  .the  last  day  or  two  of  the  patient's  life.  As  no 
other  witnesses  were  called,  the  jury  immediately  returned 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      101 

a  verdict  that  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death  had  resulted  from 
natural  causes ;  namely,  dysentery. 

I  was  watching  Pattmore  closely  during  the  interval 
before  the  verdict  was  delivered,  and  I  saw  plainly  that, 
in  spite  of  the  farcical  character  of  the  inquest,  he  was  in 
a  state  of  nervous  dread  lest  something  unforeseen  should 
occur  to  reveal  his  criminality.  When  the  verdict  was 
read,  an  expression  of  relief  and  triumph  came  into  his 
face,  and  he  received  the  congratulations  of  his  friends 
like  a  man  who  had  j  v.st  escaped  a  great  danger.  I  had 
too  little  evidence  to  warrant  me  in  showing  my  hand  at 
that  time,  by  accusing  him  in  person ;  nevertheless,  I  was 
satisfied  of  his  guilt,  and  I  decided  to  use  other  means  to 
bring  him  to  justice. 

In  about  an  hour,  Sheriff  Tomlinson  returned  from  the 
graveyard,  with  Mr.  Wells  and  Mr.  Green.  They  had 
made  notes  of  the  condition  in  which  they  had  found 
Mrs.  Pattmore's  grave,  and  they  had  written  out  a  full 
description  of  the  other  corpse  found  near  by.  The  body 
was  that  of  a  woman  of  about  the  same  size,  age,  and 
general  appearance  as  Mrs.  Pattmore. 

I  had  heard  of  an  eminent  physician  in  Greenville, 
named  Dr.  Stuart.  On  inquiring  for  him,  Mr.  Tomlinson 
took  me  to  the  doctor's  office  and  introduced  me.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  he  had  a  high  reputation 
throughout  the  West  as  a  scientific  analytical  chemist 

I  at  once  laid  the  facts  in  the  Pattmore  case  before 
him,  and  said  that  I  wished  him  to  analyze  carefully  the 
contents  of  the  stomach  and  bowels  of  the  late  Mrs. 
Pattmore,  in  order  to  determine  whether  she  had  been 
poisoned.  I  said  that  it  was  a  difficult  case  to  undertaken 


168          PINKER  TON  S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

owing  to  Pattmore's  political  influence ;  but  i  felt  sure 
that  a  thorough  investigation  would  establish  his  guilt 
beyond  question. 

The  Doctor  replied  that,  under  most  circumstances, 
he  should  hardly  feel  inclined  to  comply  with  such  a 
request,  since  he  had  no  right  to  make  such  an  analysis, 
unless  he  had  the  consent  of  the  relatives  of  the  deceased ; 
or,  upon  the  coroner's  order.  Still,  he  had  a  natural 
desire  for  fair  play,  and  the  facts  which  I  had  presented 
to  him  seemed  to  point  toward  the  possibility  that  a  foul 
crime  had  been  committed ;  hence,  he  would  perform  the 
analysis,  provided  that  his  action  should  never  be  made 
known  to  any  one,  until  he  should  be  called  upon  to 
testify  in  court.  Of  course,  if  no  trace  of  poison  should 
be  found,  the  theory  of  death  by  that  means  would  have 
to  be  abandoned,  and  his  connection  with  the  afiair  need 
never  be  disclosed. 

"  I  have  never  met  you  before,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  con 
cluded  Dr.  Stuart,  "  but  your  reputation  is  well  known  to 
me,  and  I  feel  sure  that  you  would  not  have  made  this 
request  unless  there  were  strong  reasons  for  such  action. 
I  have  full  confidence  in  you,  and  I  will  give  you  all  the 
aid  in  my  power.  Where  is  Mrs.  Pattmore's  body  now?" 

"  It  is  in  the  coroner's  office,"  I  replied,  "  and  it  will  be 
taken  back  to  the  grave  in  about  an  hour." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  can't  you  obtain  possession  of 
it  in  some  way?  I  shall  only  want  it  for  a  short  time." 

"That  is  what  puzzles  me,"  I  replied;  "I  am  afraid 
Pattmore  will  follow  the  body  to  the  grave." 

*'  Then,  if  he  should  do  so,  can't  you  get  two  men  who 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      1» 

know  how  to  handle  a  shovel  quickly,  to  disinter  it  a 
second  time?"  asked  the  Doctor. 

"Yes;  I  will  take  two  of  my  own  men,"  I  said;  "I 
can  trust  them  more  than  any  one  else." 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  laughing, 
"  you  can  do  better  than  that.  You  had  better  offer  the 
regular  grave-diggers  ten  dollars  to  leave  the  body  a 
short  time  in  your  possession  before  burying  it;  or,  if 
Pattmore  should  insist  upon  seeing  it  buried,  they  can 
easily  disinter  it  for  you,  and  it  will  take  me  only  a  short 
time  to  remove  the  intestines.  I  shall  then  seal  them  up 
for  the  present,  as  I  am  too  busy  to  make  the  analysis 
just  now;  but  when  I  shall  have  finished  my  present 
work,  I  will  take  up  this  case.  You  can  depend  upon 
hearing  from  me  at  the  earliest  possible  moment." 

It  was  then  arranged  that  Mr.  Wells  and  sheriff  Tom- 
linson  should  be  present  to  witness  the  removal  of  the 
bowels  from  Mrs.  Pattmore's  body;  the  sheriff  further 
decided  to  give  an  official  order  for  the  analysis,  so  as  to 
protect  Dr.  Stuart  in  case  of  any  accident.  If  any  signs 
of  poison  were  found,  the  Doctor's  charges  would  be  paid 
by  the  county ;  otherwise  I  should  be  responsible  for  the 
amount.  I  then  went  out  to  see  the  grave-diggers,  and 
used  such  convincing  arguments  that  they  willingly  agreed 
to  disinter  the  body.  My  arguments  were  brief,  but 
cogent,  and  were  presented  to  them  about  in  the  follow 
ing  way : 

"Mr.  Grave-digger,  you  look  like  a  man  of  discretion, 
who  knows  how  to  open  his  hands  and  shut  his  mouth. 
I  wish  to  obtain  the  body  of  the  late  Mis.  Pattmore  for  a 
short  time.  I  will  give  you  several  excellent  reasons  why 


170          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

you  will  be  willing  to  let  me  have  it.  In  the  first 
place,  I  will  give  you  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  job; 
secondly, " 

"Wa-al,  I  guess  you  needn't  go  any  furder,"  drawled 
the  grave-digger,  with  a  knowing  wink ;  "  twenty-five 
o'  them  reasons  are  enough  for  me;  so  just  tell  me 
where  you  want  the  body,  and  I'll  see  that  it's  forth 
coming." 

I  have  always  found  that  half  the  argument  may  be 
dispensed  with  if  the  matter  is  only  presented  in  the  proper 
light. 

In  accordance  with  the  agreement,  therefore,  the  body 
was  again  taken  from  the  grave  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Wells,  Sheriff  Tomlinson,  Dr.  Stuart,  my  detectives,  and 
myself;  the  necessary  parts  were  removed  by  the  Doctor, 
and  the  body  was  re-buried ;  finally,  the  Doctor  placed 
the  portions  which  had  been  removed  in  a  jar  of  alcohol, 
and  it  was  then  sealed  up  to  await  the  Doctor's  analysis. 

Of  one  thing  I  felt  certain ;  and  that  was,  that  the 
regular  grave-diggers  and  the  body-snatchers  of  the  night 
before  were  the  same  persons ;  hence,  I  feared  that  they 
might  give  Pattmore  information  of  our  proceedings.  I 
communicated  my  opinion  to  the  Sheriff,  and  suggested 
that  a  slight  hint  from  him  might  induce  the  men  to  keep 
silence  for  their  own  protection.  Accordingly  he  spoke 
to  them  about  the  occurrence  of  the  previous  night,  and 
said  that  for  the  present  he  did  not  intend  to  make  any 
investigation  to  learn  who  were  the  body-snatchers  on 
that  occasion. 

"But," he  added,  significantly,  "if  I  ever  discover  that 
Mr.  Pattmore,  or  any  one  else,  has  been  informed  of  this 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      Itl 

action  which  I  have  just  taken,  1  shall  consider  it  my 
duty  as  Sheriff,  to  bring  to  punishment  immediately  the 
men  who  attempted  to  rob  this  grave  last  nif?ht — and  1 
don't  think  I  shall  have  any  trouble  in  finding  them" 

While  returning  to  the  city,  I  impressed  upon  Sheriff 
Tomlinson  the  necessity  of  procuring  all  the  evidence 
that  could  be  reached  relative  to  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death. 
I  asked  him  particularly  to  find  the  nurses  who  attended 
her,  and  to  learn  all  that  they  could  tell  about  the  symp 
toms  of  the  patient ;  the  kind  and  amount  of  medicines 
administered  ;  the  effect  of  the  doses  ;  and,  in  general,  all 
the  particulars  of  Mrs.  Pattmore's  illness  and  death.- 
The  Sheriff  promised  to  dc  all  in  his  power,  and  Mr. 
Wells  also  agreed  to  >?ive  his  assistance  in  bringing  out 
the  whole  truth. 

On  arriving  at  the  Globe  Hotel  I  met  Miller,  who  gave 
me  a  copy  of  a  letter  which  Pattmore  had  written  to  Mrs. 
Thayer,  as  soon  as  the  coroner's  iury  had  given  their 
verdict.  The  letter  contained  a  brief  account  of  the 
inquest  and  the  finding:  oi  the  iurv.  It  said  that  she 
could  understand  his  feelings  of  great  relief  that  all  had 
turned  out  so  well  for  him.  The  letter  wa?  signed,  as  in 
the  former  case,  "Your  loving  husband/ 

Mr.  Miller  said  that  Pattmore  s  manner  had  wholly 
changed  since  the  close  of  the  mauest ;  before  he  had 
been  morose  and  irritable ;  now  he  was  all  vivacity  and 
good  spirits.  One  of  his  first  acts,  after  the  verdict  had 
been  given,  was  to  write  the  above-mentioned  letter, 
which  Miller  had  secured  as  before.  Having  taken  a 
copy  of  it,  Miller  had  mailed  it  in  the  general  post-office. 

"You  have  done  very  well,  Mr.  Miller,"  I  said,  "and  1 


172          PINKER  TON 'S  DE  TECTIVE  STORIES, 

wish  you  to  remain  here  to  watch  Pattmore's  movements 
and  intercept  his  letters.  I  shall  return  to  Chicago  to 
night,  and  you  must  inform  me  by  telegraph  if  Pattmore 
leaves  here." 

Having  completed  all  my  arrangements,  I  returned  to 
Chicago,  taking  Knox  and  Green  with  me. 


CHAPTER  VI, 

MY  first  action,  on  reaching  my  office,  was  to  send 
for  Mrs.  Kate  Warne,  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Female  Department  of  my  force.  She  made  a  full  report 
of  all  the  work  in  her  charge  during  my  absence,  and 
brought  up  among  other  cases,  that  of  Captain  Sumner. 

"Miss  Seaton,"  said  Mrs.  Warne,  "reports  that  she 
has  progressed  somewhat  toward  an  intimacy  with  Mrs. 
Thayer,  but  that  she  has  learned  very  little  except  by 
observation.  Mrs.  Thayer  seems  to  be  greatly  troubled 
at  times,  but  she  is  very  reserved,  and  does  not  appear 
anxious  to  make  any  one  her  confidant.  She  goes  to  the 
post-office  regularly  twice  a  day,  but  she  rarely  goes  any 
where  else.  Once  she  went  to  a  druggist's  store,  but, 
being  unable  to  get  what  she  wanted,  she  entered  another 
one  and  purchased  a  small  package." 

"  Has  Miss  Seaton  been  able  to  examine  any  of  Mrs. 
Thayer's  trunks  or  bureau  drawers?"  I  asked. 

"Only  once,"  replied  Mrs.  Warne;  "she  succeeded  in 
getting  into  one  of  her  trunks,  and  there  found  an 
immense  quantity  of  letters  signed  '  Alonzo  Pattmore,' 
some  of  them  dating  back  several  years." 

"Were  they  long,  sentimental  and- — in  short,  were  .they 
to  be  classed  under  the  head  of  love  letters  ?"  I  asked, 
with  a  smile. 


174  F1NKERTON*S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"Yes;  Miss  Seaton  so  reports  them." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "let  her  continue  to  watch  Mrs. 
Thayer,  and  to  seek  to  win  the  latter's  confidence.  By 
the  way,  what  kind  of  books  does  Mrs.  Thayer  read  ?" 

"Oh!  anything  that  is  romantic." 

"  Then,  tell  Miss  Seaton  to  get  '  Eugene  Aram'  and 
read  it.  She  can  make  such  allusions  to  it  as  will  make 
Mrs.  Thayer  wish  to  read  it  too.  The  effect  of  the  story 
on  her  mind  will,  perhaps,  prepare  her  for  the  train  of 
thoughts  which  I  wish  to  excite  in  her." 

"Oh!  that  reminds  me,"  said  Mrs.  Warne,  "  Mrs. 
Thayer  complains  that  she  sleeps  very  poorly,  and 
dreams  a  great  deal.  She  has  been  wondering  whether 
she  talks  in  her  sleep." 

At  this  moment,  one  of  my  clerks  entered  and  said  that 
Captain  Sumner  wished  to  see  me.  I  immediately  sent 
word  that  he  could  come  into  my  private  office;  at  the 
same  time,  I  requested  Mrs.  Warne  to  step  into  the  next 
room  for  a  few  minutes,  as  I  should  need  her,  as  soon  as 
the  Captain  had  gone.  When  the  Captain  entered,  I  was 
busily  engaged  in  examining  some  papers,  and  I  greeted 
him  as  if  he  were  an  old  friend  whom  I  had  not  seen  for 
months. 

"  Why,  how  are  you,  Captain  Sumner  ?"  I  said,  shaking 
his  hand,  warmly.  "I  am  delighted  to  see  you." 

" I'm.  pretty  well,"  he  replied;  "but  have  you  heard 
the  news?" 

"  No ;  what  news  ?" 

"  Read  that,"  he  said,  handing  me  the  Greenville  Advo 
cate,  and  pointing  to  an  account  of  the  inquest  on  Mrs. 
Pattmort's  body. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     175 

The  paper  contained  a  full  report  of  the  coroner's  pro 
ceedings,  and  an  editorial  on  the  subject.  The  editor 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  Pattmore,  and  congratulated 
him  on  his  triumphant  vindication.  I  read  all  that  the 
Advocate  contained  relative  to  the  case,  and  then  remarked : 

"I  wonder  who  started  that  investigation." 

"I  can't  imagine,"  replied  the  Captain;  "though,  as 
the  paper  says,  the  story  might  have  been  originated  by 
his  enemies,  for  mere  political  effect." 

"Yes;  that  is  possible,"!  replied;  "but  there  was  no 
use  in  attempting  anything  of  that  kind.  The  result 
must  have  strengthened  him,  even  among  his  opponents." 

"I  am  afraid  so,  too,"  said  the  Captain.  "We  shall 
have  a  hard  time  in  obtaining  any  proofs  of  his  guilt,  now 
that  he  is  so  popular."  * 

I  saw  that  the  Captain  did  not  suspect  that  I  had  been 
connected,  in  any  way,  with  the  Greenville  inquest;  I 
therefore,  changed  the  subject. 

"Well,  it  will  all  come  out  right,  if  you  have  patience. 
How  is  Mrs.  Thayer?" 

"  Not  at  all  well,"  he  replied;  "  she  is  very  restless,  and 
she  complains  of  being  nervous ;  besides,  she  is  more 
reserved  with  me  than  ever.  Don't  you  think  I  had 
better  try  to  induce  her  to  go  home  with  me  ?  I  should 
feel  more  comfortable  if  she  were  on  the  farm  in  Con 
necticut,  as  she  would  then  be  out  of  Pattmore's  power. 
Sometimes  I  think  there  is  no  use  m  trying  to  reform  her-, 
for,  she  seems  so  infatuated  with  that  man  that  I  only 
wonder  she  has  not  run  away  with  him  before  now.  I 
know  that  she  will  marry  him  at  the  first  opportunity." 


176          P/NJCERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STOKIE3. 

"  We  must  prevent  that,"  I  replied ;  "  for  the  present, 
I  think  she  had  better  remain  here." 

I  then  asked  the  Captain  to  excuse  me  a  moment,  and, 
stepping  into  the  next  room,  I  called  my  stenographer  to 
the  door;  by  leaving  the  door  ajar,  the  conversation 
between  the  Captain  and  myself  could  be  easily  heard  in 
the  next  room.  The  short-hand  writer,  therefore,  was 
able  to  take  down  everything  that  was  said.  Returning 
to  the  Captain,  I  commenced  a  friendly  chat,  in  the  course 
of  which,  I  led  him  on  to  talk  about  his  family.  I 
especially  desired  to  draw  out  the  particulars  of  Annie's 
history,  and  the  honest  old  gentleman  talked  so  freely 
that  I  obtained  a  very  full  account  of  all  that  he  knew 
about  her.  In  the  conversation  which  we  had  about  his 
own  affairs,  the  Captain  gave  me  the  following  story  to 
account  for  the  fact  that  he  was  an  old  bachelor : 

"It  seems  somewhat  strange,"  he  said,  "that  I  am 
unmarried,  as  I  have  always  been  a  great  admirer  of  the 
fair  sex ;  but,  the  fact  is,  I  had  one  strong  affection,  and 
that  has  lasted  me  all  my  life.  The  last  time  I  was  with 
her,  she  promised  to  be  my  wife,  and  we  pledged  ourselves 
to  be  eternally  faithful  to  each  other.  I  sailed  for  Singa 
pore  the  next  day,  and,  on  my  return,  I  was  to  lead  her 
to  the  altar.  I  felt  that  I  had  secured  a  prize  far  beyond 
my  merits,  for  she  seemed  to  be  superior  to  me  in  every 
way.  The  days  dragged  along  slowly  and  wearily,  while 
on  the  voyage ;  but,  at  length,  we  returned  to  New  York. 
I  immediately  hurried  up  from  the  landing-place,  all 
impatient  to  see  my  sweetheart.  As  I  passed  up  the  dock, 
I  met  an  old  acquaintance. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      177 

"  'Where  away  so  fast?'  he  asked,  as  he  stopped  me. 

" '  I  am  going  to  see  Miss  Curtis,'  I  replied. 

"  '  Why,  she  married  a  rich  banker,  six  months  ago,'  he 
said. 

"  'Oh!  did  she?'  I  exclaimed;  'I  am  glad  she  was  so 
fortunate.' 

"  Then  I  returned  aboard  ship,  feeling  completely 
crushed.  Since  that  time  I  have  never  paid  attention  to 
any  other  woman,  for  I  can  never  forget  her.  Once 
afterward  I  met  her  on  Broadway,  on  her  way  to  her 
carriage.  She  nodded  carelessly,  with  a  '  How  d'ye  do, 
John  ?'  and  was  quickly  whirled  away  out  of  my  sight.  I 
have  never  heard  from  her  since  then. 

After  the  Captain  had  told  me  everything  about  Annie 
and  himself  that  he  could  recollect,  I  asked  him  to 
excuse  me,  pleading  an  important  engagement  at  that 
hour.  As  soon  as  he  had  gone,  I  requested  my  steno 
grapher  to  write  out  his  notes  in  long  hand  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  I  returned  to  consult  with  my  female 
superintendent. 

"  Mrs.  Warne,"  I  said,  "  we  shall  have  a  difficult  task 
in  working  upon  Mrs.  Thayer;  she  seems  to  be  very 
reticent  and  wary.  I  have  decided  to  attack  the  super 
stitious  side  of  her  nature,  which  seems  to  be  her  weakest 
point;  and,  in  order  to  do  so  successfully,  I  shall  need 
your  services.  How  do  you  think  you  would  succeed  as 
a  fortune-teller  ?" 

"A  fortune-teller!"  she  exclaimed,  laughingly;  "that 
is  certainly  a  new  role  ;  however,  I  think  I  might  learn  to 
take  the  part  after  a  few  lessons." 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "the  tricks  of  the  trade  are  easily 
\2 


178  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

learned.  Here  is  a  book  which  explains  all  the  secrets 
of  the  profession.  It  is  called  '  The  Mysteries  of  Magic 
and  the  Wonders  of  Astrology;  by  Dr.  Roback.'  You 
can  take  it  to  read  at  your  leisure  ;  but,  after  all,  the  cos 
tume  and  make-up  are  the  principal  things  necessary. 
You  will  be  obliged  to  trust  largely  to  your  own  judg 
ment  and  tact  in  working  upon  Mrs.  Thayer's  feelings. 
I  suppose  she  has  some  vague  ideas  about  astrology,  etc., 
but  I  have  no  doubt  of  your  ability  to  mystify  her 
thoroughly.  One  thing  is  certain,  Mrs.  Warne,  that  we 
must  have  a  fortune-teller  of  our  own,  and  I  do  not  know 
of  any  one  so  competent  as  yourself.  I  will  rent  an  office 
for  you  near  by,  and  the  duties  will  interfere  very  little 
with  your  other  work." 

"I  will  undertake  it,"  she  said,  decidedly,  after  a 
moment's  thought ;  "  I  will  make  it  a  success,  too,  rf  you 
will  give  me  my  own  way  about  it." 

"  All  right,"  I  answered ;  "  success  is  all  that  I  require." 

Mrs.  Warne  then  withdrew  to  make  her  preparations. 

In  a  day  or  two  I  received  a  letter  from  Miller.  He 
said  that  the  talk  over  the  inquest  was  gradually  sub 
siding  ;  that  there  were  some  few  persons  who  were  not 
fully  satisfied  with  the  manner  of  conducting  the  inquiry, 
but  that  the  general  effect  had  been  favorable  to  Patt- 
more;  that  the  latter  had  began  to  drink  a  great  deal, 
though  not  enough  to  become  intoxicated ;  that  he, 
(Miller,)  had  been  taken  into  Pattmore's  confidence  to  a 
considerable  extent ;  and  that  the  latter  had  expressed  an 
intention  of  going  to  Cincinnati  to  make  a  visit.  In 
conclusion,  he  said  that  Pattmore  was  doing  his  utmost 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.       179 

to  appear  cheerful,  but  that  he  looked  very  haggard,  and 
seemed  to  be  in  great  trouble. 

Miss  Seaton  reported  to  Mrs.  Warne  the  same  day, 
that  she  was  becoming  more  intimate  with  Mrs.  Thayer, 
though  the  latter  manifested  no  desire  to  take  any  one 
into  her  confidence.  The  day  previous  Mrs.  Thayer  had 
gone  to  the  post-office,  where  she  had  received  a  letter, 
as  usual.  She  had  torn  it  open,  as  if  very  anxious  to 
learn  the  news  it  contained  for  her,  and  had  then 
crumpled  it  nervously  in  her  hand,  after  reading  it. 

Miss  Seaton  also  described  a  scene  which  had  taken 
place  that  morning.  Mrs.  Thayer  was  in  her  room  about 
eleven  o'clock ;  soon  afterward  Miss  Seaton  went  to  the 
door  and  knocked.  No  answer  being  given,  she  went  in 
quietly,  intending  to  surprise  Mrs.  Thayer.  She  found 
the  latter  deeply  absorbed  in  telling  her  own  fortune  with 
a  pack  of  cards.  Miss  Seaton  laughed  pleasantly,  and 
•said  : 

"  So  you  were  telling  your  fortune,  were  you  ?  Well, 
how  did  it  come  out  ?" 

Mrs.  Thayer  looked  somewhat  confused  at  first,  but  she 
gathered  up  the  cards  mechanically,  and  said  : 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  tell  my  fortune  ;  do  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  I  used  to  be  a  splendid  fortune-teller," 
replied  Miss  Seaton.  "  Let  me  try  to  tell  your  fortune." 

She  then  shuffled  the  cards,  dealt  them  in  three  piles, 
and  turned  up  the  last  card,  which  happened  to  be  the 
queen  of  hearts. 

"  Now  let  us  see  what  your  fortune  has  been,  what  it  is, 
and  what  it  will  be,"  said  Miss  Seaton.  "  You  are 


180          PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECT1 VE  STORIES. 

sented  by  the  queen  of  hearts ;  this  pile  contains  you* 
past ;  that  one  your  present ;  and  the  third  your  future.* 

So  saying,  she  turned  up  the  top  card  of  each  pile.  By 
an  odd  coincidence  the  present  and  future  were  both 
clubs,  the  past  being  a  diamond. 

Miss  Seaton  said,  gravely  : 

"Your  past  has  been  pleasant,  but  your  future  is 
unpromising." 

"Yes,  it  is  always  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Thayer,  despond 
ently. 

Then,  as  Miss  Seaton  was  about  to  go  on,  Mrs.  Thayer 
threw  all  the  cards  into  a  heap,  saying : 

"  No,  I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more ;  I  shall  have  the 
same  luck  throughout ;  clubs  always  come  to  me." 

"  Have  you  always  had  such  bad  fortune?"  asked  Miss 
Seaton. 

"  Oh  !  no ;  only  a  few  years  ago,  I  used  to  be  as  happy 
as  a  bird ;  sorrow  was  unknown  to  me,  and  one  enjoyment 
seemed  to  pass  away  only  to  be  succeeded  by  another. 
Now  I  have  nothing  but  trouble  all  the  time." 

"Your  lot  seems  hard,"  remarked  Miss  Seaton,  in  a 
sympathizing  tone ;  "  probably  you  feel  worse  since  your 
husband  has  been  dead." 

"Dead!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thayer,  springing  up;  then, 
recovering  her  presence  of  mind,  she  sat  down,  muttering : 
"yes,  yes,  of  course,  he's  dead." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  said  Miss  Seaton.  "  Is  it  long 
since  he  died?" 

"  I  do  not  feel  well  to-day ;  and  I  shall  not  try  to  read 
my  fortune  again  when  I  am  so  nervous,"  replied  Mrs. 
Thayer,  evading  Miss  Seaton 's  question. 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      181 

Seeing  that  Mrs.  Thayer  wished  to  change  the  subject, 
Miss  Seaton  did  not  press  her  further.  The  two  ladies 
remained  together  until  dinner  time,  and  Miss  Seaton  read 
a  portion  of  "  Eugene  Aram  "  aloud.  Mrs.  Thayer  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  book,  and  borrowed  it  to  read. 

Next  morning  I  received  a  telegram  from  Miller,  briefly 
stating  that  Pattmore  had  left  Greenville.  His  destination 
was  Chicago,  though  he  had  given  out  that  he  was  going 
to  Cincinnati.  . 

I  knew  that  he  could  not  arrive  that  day,  as  the  railroad 
connections  were  not  promptly  made  at  that  time ;  but  I 
instructed  Mr.  Knox  and  Mr.  Green  to  be  prepared  to 
"  shadow  "  him,  on  his  arrival  at  the  depot  the  next 
morning,  and  to  keep  upon  his  track  constantly,  while  he 
remained  in  Chicago.  I  also  sent  word  to  Miss  Seaton  to 
make  some  pretense  for  calling  upon  Mrs.  Thayer  early 
in  the  forenoon,  and  to  remain  with  her  as  long  as  possible. 
I  knew  that  Pattmore  would  communicate  with  Mrs. 
Thayer  immediately  on  his  arrival,  and  my  object  was,  to 
have  some  one  to  witness  their  meeting. 

On  entering  my  office  early  the  next  day,  I  was  sur 
prised  to  find  Captain  Sumner  awaiting  me,  in  a  great 
state  of  excitement. 

"  That  man  has  come  here  again,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he 
broke  out,  impetuously.  "  He  came  before  breakfast  and 
went  straight  to  Annie's  room.  I  called  her  to  the  door 
and  expostulated  with  her,  until  she  agreed  to  send  him 
away  as  soon  as  possible.  I  then  came  here  directly  to 
inform  you." 

"Quite  right,  Captain,"  I  replied;  "there  is  nothing, 


182  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

like  taking  prompt  action  in  such  cases.  You  can  return 
to  the  house  now,  and  trust  to  me  for  the  rest." 

"  But  I'm  afraid  she  will  run  away  with  that  villain," 
said  the  Captain. 

"  Of  course,  we  must  prevent  that,"  I  replied;  "  I  shall 
have  a  plan  prepared,  in  case  they  attempt  to  run  away 
together ;  but,  I  do  not  think  Pattmore  is  quite  ready  yet 
for  such  a  step.  Keep  your  spirits  up,  Captain,  and  don't 
borrow  trouble." 

"  I  have  all  confidence  in  you,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  said 
as  he  went  out ;  "  but  I  shall  be  much  happier  when  I 
am  back  on  my  farm." 

According  to  instructions,  Miss  Seaton  called  on  Mrs. 
Thayer,  though  she  did  not  gain  admittance  to  her  room. 
When  Mrs.  Thayer  opened  the  door,  Miss  Seaton  saw 
that  she  had  been  crying,  and  that  she  was  evidently 
much  disturbed.  She  asked  Miss  Seaton  to  excuse  her, 
as  she  had  company  from  the  East. 

About  noon  Pattmore  returned  to  his  hotel,  as  the 
Captain  would  not  permit  him  to  dine  at  the  boarding 
house.  As  Mrs.  Thayer  did  not  come  down  to  dinner, 
Miss  Seaton  again  visited  her,  and  found  her  dressing  to 
go  out.  She  asked  Miss  Seaton  to  remain  until  she  was 
dressed,  but  said  that  she  was  going  out  driving  in  the 
afternoon  and  to  the  theatre  in  the  evening.  In  a  short 
time,  the  Captain  came  in,  and  Miss  Seaton  retired.  The 
Captain  asked  Mrs.  Thayer  what  she  meant  by  breaking 
her  promises  not  to  see  Pattmore  again. 

She  replied  that  Pattmore  was  a  man  she  could  not  help 
loving;  that  she  had  tried  her  best  to  overcome  her 
passion,  but  in  vain ;  and  that  she  could  not  break  off  the 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      186 

connection  so  abruptly,  but  that  she  would  endeavor  to 
do  so  gradually  in  the  future.  Then  she  kissed  the  Cap 
tain,  saying  that  she  was  never  so  happy  in  her  life,  and 
that  she  was  going  out  driving  with  Pattmore  that  after 
noon.  The  Captain  remonstrated  with  her  without  effect , 
and,  seeing  that  he  could  not  move  her  from  her  purpose 
he  came  straight  to  my  office  to  report. 

Pattmore  came  again  in  the  afternoon  and  took  Mrs. 
Thayer  out  driving.  She  looked  superb  as  she  went 
off,  having  recovered  entirely  from  her  illness.  She  was 
in  a  perfect  flutter  of  happiness  and  excitement,  which 
gave  her  a  brilliant  color,  and  added  to  the  brightness  of 
her  eyes.  She  was  agitated  by  conflicting  influences ;  on 
one  side,  was  her  brother,  determined  to  separate  her 
from  her  lover,  and  justly  blaming  her  course ;  on  the 
other,  was  Pattmore,  claiming  her  love,  and  urging  her  to 
abandon  her  brother's  protection. 

They  were  gone  about  three  hours,  and,  on  their  return, 
they  seemed  very  complacent  and  much  less  excited  than 
when  they  set  out.  In  the  evening,  they  went  to  the 
theatre  together,  being  "  shadowed  "  by  Mr.  Knox.  He 
took  a  seat  close  behind  them,  in  order  to  listen  to  their 
conversation;  but  he  overheard  nothing  of  any  conse 
quence. 

Captain  Sumner  had  a  long  talk  with  his  sister  next 
morning,  in  relation  to  their  return  to  Connecticut.  He 
begged  her  to  go  immediately,  and  thus  escape  from 
Pattmore 's  influence ;  but  she  opposed  his  wish,  on  the 
ground  that  she  was  too  weak  to  make  the  journey.  He 
then  lost  his  temper,  and  replied  that  she  was  strong 
enough  to  go  around  to  places  of  amusement  with 


184          PINKER  TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

Pattmore,  and  it  was  very  strange  that  she  could  not 
travel  slowly  home.  This  show  of  anger  on  the  Captain's 
part,  caused  her  to  commence  crying,  as  she  knew  that 
he  could  not  resist  so  powerful  an  appeal  to  his  sympathy. 
The  result  equalled  her  anticipations.  The  Captain  soon 
lost  all  his  irritation  and  began  to  console  her,  as  if  she 
were  a  spoilt  child  ;  finally,  she  induced  him  to  go  driving 
with  them  that  afternoon.  The  Captain  told  me  after 
ward,  that  Pattmore  behaved  with  great  propriety  during 
the  drive,  and  that  they  did  not  seem  to  be  so  much  in 
love  with  each  other  as  he  had  supposed.  I  smiled 
inwardly  at  the  old  sailor's  simplicity;  for  I.  noticed 
that  they  had  gone  out  in  an  open  barouche,  (instead  of 
a  close  carriage,  such  as  they  had  used  the  day  before,) 
and  they  had  remained  away  only  one  hour,  instead  of 
three. 

On  their  return  from  the  drive,  Pattmore  and  Annie 
went  to  Mrs.  Thayer's  sitting  room,  and  the  Captain  went 
down  town.  At  four  o'clock,  Miss  Seaton  knocked  at 
Mrs.  Thayer's  door;  but,  receiving  no  answer,  she  tried 
to  enter  quietly.  She  found  that  the  door  was  locked  on 
the  inside,  however,  and  she  was,  therefore,  obliged  to 
withdraw  to  her  own  room  to  watch.  It  was  six  o'clock 
before  Pattmore  came  out,  having  been  nearly  three  hours 
in  Mrs.  Thayer's  room  with  the  door  locked. 

Mr.  Knox  "  shadowed  "  Pattmore  on  his  departure 
from  the  boarding  house,  and  saw  him  take  the  nine 
o'clock  train  for  Greenville.  I  immediately  notified  Mr. 
Miller  by  telegraph,  directing  him  to  renew  his  intimacy 
with  Pattmore,  and  to  remain  in  Greenville  until  further 
orders 


CHAPTER    VI 7. 

MR.  MILLER  was  not  idle  during  the  time  that 
Pattmore  was  away.  His  first  action  was  to  learn 
who  were  the  nurses  attending  Mrs.  Pattmore  in  her  last 
illness.  One  ol  them  had  left  the  city,  but  the  other, 
being  an  old  resident  of  Greenville,  was  soon  found.  She 
was  quite  an  elderly  woman,  with  no  family  except  one 
daughter.  The  latter  was  a  seamstress,  and  Mr.  Miller 
soon  made  her  acquaintance  by  employing  her  to  make 
some  shirts  for  him.  He  kept  up  friendly  relations  with 
them  by  taking  both  mother  and  daughter  out  riding  occa 
sionally  in  the  summer  evenings  ;  and  in  various  ways  he 
ingratiated  himself  into  the  old  lady's  confidence.  It  was 
not  long  before  he  was  able  to  draw  out  all  the  particulars 
of  Mrs.  Pattmore's  illness. 

He  learned  that  when  she  first  became  seriously  sick, 
Mr.  Pattmore  began  to  show  a  very  tender  solicitude  for 
her  health. 

He  even  insisted  upon  preparing  her  medicine  and 
giving  it  to  her  himself.  Mrs.  Pattmore,  however,  did 
not  seem  to  appreciate  his  watchful  care,  for  she  told  the 
nurse  that  she  did  not  like  to  take  her  medicine  from  her 
husband  ;  she  also  asked  very  particularly  whether  the 
medicine  which  she  took  was  that  which  the  doctor  pre 
scribed. 

Mrs.  Reed,  the  nurse,  said  that  she  did  not  like  the  effects 


186          PINKERTON-'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

of  the  medicine  at  all.  It  was  put  up  in  small  yellow 
papers,  and  when  Mrs.  Pattmore  took  a  dose  of  it  she  was 
always  taken  with  violent  vomiting ;  her  bowels  and 
stomach  would  become  very  hot,  and  the  pain  would  be 
so  severe  as  to  cause  her  to  scream  terribly.  Then  Mr. 
Pattmore  would  give  her  a  dose  of  another  kind  of  medi 
cine,  which  would  soon  relieve  the  patient  and  cause  her 
to  fall  into  a  deep  sleep. 

When  Dr.  Forsythe  called,  Mrs.  Pattmore  always 
informed  him  very  carefully  about  the  effect  of  the  medi 
cine,  but  he  treated  it  as  a  case  of  common  occurrence, 
and  said  that  those  symptoms  invariably  accompanied  an 
attack  of  dysentery.  After  the  Doctor  had  gone,  Mr. 
Pattmore  would  return  to  the  room  with  the  same  medi 
cine,  and  his  wife  would  exclaim : 

'"  Oh !  has  the  Doctor  ordered  that  horrid  medicine 
again?  I  cannot  stand  it  long.  Oh!  what  shall  I  do?" 

Then  her  husband  would  tell  her  that  it  pained  him 
almost  as  much  as  herself  to  see  her  suffer  so,  and  that 
he  would  willingly  take  it  himself  if  he  could  thereby 
save  her  from  pain ;  but  she  must  recollect  that  she  was 
rery  dangerously  sick,  and  that  a  failure  to  obey  the 
Doctor's  instructions  might  prove  fatal  to  her.  Mrs. 
Pattmore  would  be  too  feeble  to  protest  long,  and  she 
would  take  the  medicine;  the  same. symptoms  as  before 
would  then  result,  .and  each  day  she  seemed  to  grow 
weaker  and  weaker. 

The  day  of  Mrs.  Pattmore's  death  the  Doctor  was 
unable  to  call ;  hence  only  Mr.  Pattmore  and  Mrs.  Reed 
were  present  when  she  died.  Pattmore  spoke  very 
endearingly  to  his  wife  and  tried  to  caress  her,  but  she 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      I9i 

pushed  him  away,  gave  him  one  long,  reproachful  look, 
and  fell  back  dead.  Pattmore  professed  to  be  overcome 
with  grief,  and  tears  flowed  down  his  cheeks,  as  he 
requested  Mrs.  Reed  to  arrange  for  the  funeral,  and  to 
spare  no  expense.  He  stopped  at  the  door  as  he  was 
leaving  the  room  and  said : 

"  By  the  way,  Mrs.  Reed,  if  any  one  inquires  about  it, 
you  can  say  that  dysentery  was  the  cause  of  my  beloved 
wife's  death." 

Miller  said  that  there  was  little  doubt  that  Mrs.  Reed 
suspected  foul  play  in  connection  with  Mrs.  Pattmore's 
death ;  but  she  was  a  very  discreet  woman,  and  would 
not  spread  any  story  which  she  could  not  prove.  It  was 
only  by  very  skillful  management  that  he  had  been  able 
to  induce  her  to  talk  upon  the  subject  at  all.  She  knew 
that  Pattmore  was  very  popular,  and  that  she  would  be 
speedily  silenced  if  she  attempted  to  suggest  anything 
against  his  character ;  hence  she  preferred  to  keep  her 
suspicions  to  herself. 

On  receiving  this  report  from  Miller,  I  sent  him  instruc 
tions  to  continue  his  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Reed,  and  to 
keep  a  close  watch  upon  her  movements,  for  it  was  pos 
sible  that  she,  too,  might  be  induced  to  go  away.  As  she 
would  be  an  important  witness,  it  would  be  necessary  not 
to  lose  sight  of  her.  At  the  end  of  the  week  I  received 
another  report  from  Miller,  stating  that  Pattmore  had 
called  a  select  meeting  of  his  political  supporters  in  the 
district,  and  had  laid  the  plans  for  an  energetic  effort  to 
obtain  the  Congressional  nomination.  Miller  had  been 
taken  into  their  confidence,  and  he  was  working  hard 
to  secure  the  election  of  Pattmore  delegates  to  the 


186         PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECT1 VE  STORIES. 

approaching  convention.  This  gave  him  ample  oppor 
tunity  to  become  intimate  with  Pattmore,  and  he  felt  sure 
that  the  latter  would  not  take  any  important  steps  without 
consulting  him. 

I  was  much  pleased  to  hear  this  news,  as  it  showed  me 
that  Pattmore  was  no  longer  in  fear  of  detection ;  more 
over,  it  satisfied  me  that  politics  would  detain  him  in 
Greenville  for  some  time,  and  there  would  be  no  immedi 
ate  danger  of  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Thayer.  Having  a 
prospect  that  he  would  not  return  to  Chicago  to  inter 
fere  with  my  plan  for  some  weeks,  I  decided  to  proceed 
with  my  attack  on  Mrs.  Thayer's  credulity  and  supersti 
tion.  In  the  afternoon,  therefore,  I  sent  for  Mrs.  Warne, 
and  asked  whether  she  had  secured  rooms  in  which  to 
play  the  part  of  a  fortune-teller. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "I  have  rented  three  rooms  on 
Clark  street,  which  are  just  suited  for  the  purpose. 
There  are  two  entrances,  so  that  you  can  slip  in  at  any 
time  without  being  seen  by  my  visitors." 

"  Well,  you  had  better  have  them  fitted  up  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  will  drop  in  to  look  at  them  to-day." 

"No,"  she  answered,  "I  don't  wish  you  to  come  until  I 
have  completed  my  preparations.  The  rooms  are  on  the 
second  floor,  and  have  not  been  occupied  for  some  time ; 
hence  they  will  need  considerable  cleaning.  You  are  too 
busy  to  attend  to  the  furnishing  and  arranging,  so  I  will 
relieve  you  of  all  the  trouble ;  only  give  me  carte-blancht 
for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  rooms,  and  I  know  you 
will  not  regret  it." 

"All  right,"  said  I ;  "you  have  my  permission  to  do  as 
you  please,  and  you  can  get  whatever  money  you  ne*d 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      188 

from  the  cashier.  All  I  ask  is  that  everything  be  done  in 
the  best  manner.  When  you  are  ready  to  begin  opera 
tions  let  me  know,  so  that  I  can  have  an  audience  with 
the  great  fortune-teller  in  advance  of  the  general  public." 

During  the  next  four  days,  nothing  of  any  consequence 
occurred.  The  Captain  reported  that  his  sister  was 
gaming  so  fast  in  health  and  strength  that  he  thought  she 
was  able  to  go  back  to  Connecticut.  Of  course,  I  was 
obliged  to  oppose  the  journey  at  that  time,  since  I  wished 
to  bring  Mrs.  Thayer  before  my  fortune-teller.  Miss 
Seaton  reported  that  she  was  on  quite  intimate  terms 
with  Mrs.  Thayer ;  but  the  latter  never  talked  about  her 
own  affairs.  She  wrote  daily  to  Pattmore,  and  received 
daily  letters  in  reply. 

At  length,  Mrs.  Warne  reported  that  her  temple  of 
magic  was  in  complete  order,  and  that  she  would  be 
ready  to  receive  me  that  afternoon. 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied ;  "  I  will  drop  in  to  have  my 
fortune  told  about  three  o'clock.  Have  you  arranged  it 
wholly  to  your  own  satisfaction  ?" 

"  Yes ;  it  is  nearly  perfect." 

"Whom  have  you  engaged  for  an  usher?"  I  inquired. 

"You  must  not  ask  questions  now,"  she  answered, 
laughing.  "I  have  taken  more  liberties  than  I  ever 
dared  to  take  before ;  but  I  think,  when  you  consider  the 
object  to  be  gained,  that  you  will  be  satisfied." 

"Well,  I  hope  your  rooms  are  as  mysterious  as  your 
answers  would  lead  me  to  expect,"  said  I,  "However,  I 
shall  be  there  promptly  at  three  o'clock,  so  I  will  restrain 
my  curiosity  for  the  present." 

At  the  appointed  hour,  therefore,  I  called  at  the  rooms, 


190          PINKER  TON'S  DE  TECT1 VE  STORIES. 

where  I  was  received  by  a  young  negro  of  the  blackest 
type.  He  was  dressed  in  full  Turkish  costume,  and  his 
actions  gave  me  the  impression  that  he  was  dumb.  This 
black  mute  first  ushered  me  into  a  very  large  front  room, 
elegantly  furnished  in  the  style  of  a  modern  salon.  Heavy 
curtains  hung  in  graceful  folds  from  richly  gilded  cornices, 
sufficiently  obscuring  the  windows  to  prevent  the  strong 
glare  of  the  afternoon  sun  from  penetrating  directly  into 
the  room ;  arm-chairs  and  sofas  were  plentifully  scattered 
about,  to  accommodate  the  throng  of  persons  who  were 
expected  to  visit  the  fortune-teller ;  the  walls  were  hung 
with  engravings  and  paintings ;  and  on  the  floor  was  a 
thick  Brussels  carpet  into  which  my  feet  sank  noiselessly, 
as  I  walked  about  inspecting  the  pictures  and  furniture. 
After  scanning  the  sable  usher  tor  a  lew  minutes,  I  said : 

"  Now,  if  that  color  would  wash  off,  I  should  feel  sure 
of  finding  one  of  my  office  boys,  named  Jack  Scott, 
underneath."  The  mute  grinned  responsively,  and  I  saw 
that  I  had  guessed  correctly.  "  Well,  Jack,"  I  continued, 
"I  don't  think  you  need  fear  detection.  Where  is  Mrs. 
Warne  ?" 

Jack  still  remained  mute;  but  he  went  into  another 
room,  and  soon  beckoned  me  to  follow  him.  As  I  crossed 
the  threshold,  the  door  closed  noiselessly  behind  me.  It 
took  me  several  seconds  to  accustom  my  eyes  to  the 
change  in  the  light.  Then  I  began  to  gather  an  idea  of 
the  surroundings,  and  my  surprise  at  Mrs.  Warne's 
success  was  equalled  only  by  my  admiration  of  her  good 
taste  and  judgment. 

The  room  was  nearly  square,  but  a  large  mirror,  at  the 
end  opposite  the  entrance,  gave  a  duplicate  view  of  the 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.     191 

whole;  the  shape  of  the  mirror  being  that  of  a  large 
doorway,  the  effect  was  to  give  an  appearance  of  two 
rooms,  instead  of  one.  The  walls  and  windows  were 
hung  with  some  dark  colored  material,  which  wholly  shut 
out  every  ray  of  sunlight ;  but  a  soft,  dim  radiance  was 
shed  from  five  swinging  lamps,  one  in  each  corner  and 
the  fifth  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  These  lamps  were 
of  bronzed  silver,  of  Oriental  patterns,  and  were  all  in 
motion ;  the  corner  lamps  swinging  back  and  forth  toward 
the  centre,  and  the  centre  one,  swinging  slowly  around  in 
a  circle.  On  the  walls,  were  hung  several  charts  and 
mystic  symbols,  while  the  floor  was  covered  with  a  close 
matting  of  white  straw,  upon  which  was  painted  the 
common  representation  of  the  signs  of  the  zodiac.  A 
number  of  small  globes  stood  upon  a  low  shelf  in  one 
corner,  and  on  a  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room  was  a 
large  globe  standing  on  a  chart.  With  the  exception  of 
one  large  easy-chair  and  a  lounge,  there  were  no  other 
articles  of  furniture  in  the  room.  A  pair  of  skeletons 
stood  facing  each  other,  one  at  each  side  of  the  mirror, 
and  their  ghastly  appearance,  duplicated  in  the  mirror, 
added  to  the  unnatural  effect.  Near  the  table  was  a  small 
portable  furnace  upon  which  stood  a  peculiarly  shaped 
retort,  and  from  this,  issued  a  pungent,  aromatic  incense. 
While  I  was  examining  the  globe  and  chart,  Mrs. 
Warne  slipped  into  the  room,  through  the  folds  of  a 
curtain  at  one  side  of  the  mirror,  and  swept  down  toward 
me.  I  should  hardly  have  known  her,  so  great  was  her 
disguise ;  her  face  and  hands  were  stained  a  clear  olive, 
and  her  hair  hung  down  in  heavy  masses  to  her  waist ; 
her  dress  was  of  rich  material,  trimmed  with  Oriental 


1»S  PINKER  TON'S  DE  TE C TI VE  STORIES. 

extravagance;  the  sleeves  were  large  and  flowing,  and 
the  skirt  trailed  over  a  yard.  In  her  right  hand  she 
carried  a  small  wand,  around  which  two  serpents  twined. 
Her  whole  appearance  was  dignified  and  imposing.  The 
light  and  atmosphere  added  to  the  general  effect,  and  I 
felt  wholly  satisfttd  with  Mrs.  Warne's  work. 

"Well,  Mrs.  Warne,"  said  I,  "you  have  certainly  made 
a  great  success;  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  so  much 
pleased  when  the  bills  come  in." 

"  Don't  be  very  much  alarmed  on  that  score,"  replied 
Mrs.  Warne.  "  I  have  been  very  economical.  Many  of 
the  most  expensive  articles  have  been  hired  for  the  occa 
sion,  while  the  rest  have  been  picked  up  cheap  at  auction 
sales.  The  expense,  I  assure  you,  will  not  be  great." 

"All  right,"  I  rejoined;  "the  Captain  will  have  to  foot 
the  bill,  whatever  it  may  be ;  but,  if  we  succeed  in  our 
object,  he  will  not  have  any  reason  to  regret  the  cost." 

Mrs.  Warne  showed  me  the  door  through  which  she 
had  entered,  and  asked  me  to  seat  myself  behind  the 
curtains.  She  then  called  her  usher  into  the  room,  and 
conversed  with  him ;  though  they  spoke  in  low  tones,  I 
was  able  to  hear  every  word.  The  door  where  I  was 
sitting,  was  hung  on  noiseless  hinges,  and  it  led  into  the 
last  room  of  the  suite;  from  this  room,  another  door 
opened  on  a  hall  leading  to  a  pair  of  side  stairs.  I  was 
thus  able  to  reach  my  ambush  without  entering  by  the 
front  way. 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Warne,  nothing  remains  to  be  done  but  to 
advertise  you  thoroughly,"  I  said,  after  I  had  inspected 
all  her  preparations. 

"Very  well,"  she  replied;  "but  you  must  recollect  that 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      198 

I  shall  not  be  able  to  oversee  all  my  general  work,  unless 
you  make  my  office  hours  as  a  fortune-teller  very  short. 
Three  hours  will  be  the  longest  time  I  can  spare  daily." 

I  then  returned  to  my  office  and  wrote  out  the  following 
advertisement : 

THE  GREAT  ASIATIC  SIBYL, 
L.  L.  LUCILLE,  the  only  living  descendant  of  Hermes, 
the    Egyptian,    who    has  traveled   through    all    the 
known  parts  of  the  world,  now  makes  her  first 
appearance    in    Chicago.       She    will    cast 
the    horoscope   of     all  callers;      will 
tell     them    the    events    of    their 
past    life,    and    reveal    what 
the   future  has   in  store 
for  them.     She  has 
cast    the    horo 
scope    of 

all  the 
crowned 
heads    of    Eu 
rope,    Asia,    Africa, 
and  Oceanica;    she  will 
cast  the  horoscope,  or  celes 
tial   map,  for  the   hour   and  mo 
ment   of  the   inquiry   for   any    visitor 
with    the    same    care,    and    by    the    same 
method  as  that  used  in  the  case  of  the  Sultan 
of  Turkey,   and   the  Pacha  of  Trincomalee.      She 
will  remain  only  a  short  time  in  Chicago ;    hence  the 

SORROWFUL    AND  AFFLICTED, 
who  wish  to  know  what  the  future  has  in  store  for  them, 
13 


194          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORl&S. 

had  better  CALL  AT  ONCE. 

She  will  tell 

WHO  LOVES  You;    WHO   HATES   You; 
and  who  is  trying  to  injure  you. 

She  will  show  you 

YOUR   FUTURE  HUSBAND  OR  WIFE. 
5U  L.  LUCILLE  is  the 

Seventh  Daughter  of 

a  Seventh  Daughter. 

She  never  fails  to  give  satisfaction. 

Visit  her  and  learn  your  fate. 
Office  hours — 10  a.  m.  to  i  p.  m. 

Fee  $10.00. 

OFFICE  AT  THE  TEMPLE  OF  MAGIC, 
50  SOUTH  CLARK  STREET. 

This  advertisement  was  inserted  in  the  daily  news 
papers  for  a  week,  and  I  also  had  a  number  of  small 
handbills  printed  for  distribution  in  the  street.  In  this 
way  Lucille's  name  was  brought  before  the  public  very 
conspicuously.  At  that  time  the  trade  of  fortune-telling 
was  not  so  common  as  it  is  now,  and  those  engaged  in  it 
rarely  had  the  means  to  advertise  themselves  so  exten 
sively;  hence  Lucille's  half  column  in  the  newspapers 
attracted  an  unusual  amount  of  attention. 


CHAPTER    VIII, 

THE  next  morning  Miss  Seaton  called  on  Mrs. 
Thayer  as  usual,  and  found  her  eagerly  reading 
Lucille's  advertisement  in  one  of  the  newspapers.  Miss 
Seaton  asked  Mrs.  Thayer  whether  she  was  ready  to  go 
out  for  their  regular  morning  walk,  and  Mrs.  Thayer  soon 
prepared  to  accompany  her.  They  first  went  to  the  post- 
office  ;  and,  as  they  walked  away,  after  Mrs.  Thayer  had 
received  a  letter,  they  met  a  boy  distributing  hand-bills. 
They  each  took  one  and  walked  along  slowly  in  order  to 
read  Lucille's  glowing  advertisement.  Mrs.  Thayer 
folded  her  bill  up  carefully  and  said  : 

"  I  wonder  whether  this  woman  can  do  what  she 
claims ;  if  I  thought  so,  I  would  call  on  her  myself." 

"  Well,  I  don't  have  much  faith  in  these  people,  as  a 
rule,"  replied  Miss  Seaton,  "  but  it  is  a  fact  that  some  oi 
them  really  have  a  strange  and  inexplicable  power  to 
foresee  events.  Whether  it  is  a  genuine  science,  or  a 
mere  application  of  general  rules  of  physiognomy  to  the 
particular  features  of  each  visitor,  I  do  not  profess  to  say; 
but  there  is  no  doubt,  I  believe,  that  they  have  been  very 
successful  in  reading  the  future  for  some  people." 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,"  said  Mrs.  Thayer, 
"  for  I  was  afraid  that  you  would  laugh  at  me.  Now  I 
have  a  real  desire  to  see  this  woman,  just  to  test  her 
powers.  The  moment  I  read  her  advertisement  in  this 


m  PINKERTOtTS  DETECTIVE,  STORIES. 

morning's  paper,  I  had  a  strong  presentiment  that  she 
could  help  me  out  of  my  troubles,  and  I  determined  to 
visit  her.  See,  here  we  are,  right  at  the  door,  No.  50 
Clark  street.  Won't  you  go  up  with  me  while  I  get  my 
fortune  told,  Miss  Seaton  ?" 

"  Oh,  certainly ;  if  you  really  wish  to  try  your  fortune, 
to-day  is  as  good  a  time  as  any  other." 

They  therefore  ascended  to  Madam  Lucille's  rooms 
and  rang  a  bell  at  the  reception-room  door.  The  sable 
usher  immediately  admitted  them  and  asked  them  to  be 
seated  for  a  short  time,  as  Madam  was  engaged  at  that 
moment.  He  then  left  them  alone,  while  he  went  to 
inquire  how  soon  they  could  have  an  audience  with  the 
great  sibyl.  Having  told  Mrs.  Warne  who  her  visitors 
were,  the  usher  hurried  over  to  my  office  and  informed 
me.  I  instantly  called  my  stenographer,  and  we  pro 
ceeded  quickly  to  the  back  room,  where  we  took  our  seats 
behind  the  curtain. 

A  lady  was  already  in  Mrs.  Warne 's  room,  but  she  was 
easily  dismissed  with  instructions  to  return  next  day. 
When  she  retired,  Mrs.  Thayer  was  admitted,  and  Miss 
Seaton  wished  to  follow,  but  this  could  not  be  allowed, 
as  only  one  could  have  an  audience  at  a  time.  Mrs. 
Thayer  entered  the  room  with  her  veil  down ;  and,  what 
with  her  nervousness  and  the  superstitious  terror  inspired 
by  the  weird  appearance  of  the  room,  she  was  hardly 
able  to  walk  to  the  visitor's  chair.  When  she  became 
somewhat  accustomed  to  the  peculiar  light,  she  saw 
Madam  Lucille  standing  beside  the  table.  Her  tall, 
commanding  figure  struck  Mrs.  Thayer  with  awe,  and 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TVNE  TELLM*.     IN 

Mrs.  Warne  already  felt  sure  of  drawing  out  everything 
that  she  knew. 

"  Come  hither,  my  daughter,"  said  Lucille,  in  a  clear, 
sweet  voice. 

Mrs.  Thayer  advanced  falteringly,  and  sank  into  the 
large  chair  which  the  sibyl  pointed  out. 

"  What  would  you  know,  my  child  ?"  continued  Lucille. 
"State  your  errand  quickly;  as  my  time  is  short,  to 
unfold  the  mysteries  of  the  future.  Like  the  Wandering 
Jew,  I  must  forever  advance  upon  my  mission.  What  do 
you  seek  to  know?" 

Lucille's  powerful  mind,  aided  by  her  fantastic  sur 
roundings,  had  gained  a  complete  ascendency  over  Mrs. 
Thayer's  superstitious  nature ;  in  a  voice  trembling  with 
emotion,  she  replied : 

"I  have  come  to  learn  my  future." 

"  Then  you  must  unveil ;  I  can  tell  you  nothing  until  I 
see  your  face,"  said  Lucille. 

Mrs.  Thayer  slowly  removed  her  veil  and  sat  motion 
less,  regarding  the  fortune-teller  as  a  frightened  bird 
watches  a  snake. 

"You  wish  to  know  your  destiny,  do  you?"  asked 
Lucille,  gently.  "  Well,  I  can  tell  it,  if  the  stars  are 
propitious;  but  I  must  first  look  at  your  hand." 

She  paused  and  waved  her  wand  with  several  mysterious 
gestures  over  Mrs.  Thayer's  head;  then  she  swept  forward 
and  took  her  hand. 

"  Tell  me  the  day  and  hour  of  your  birth,"  continued 
Lucille. 

"I  was  born  about  daybreak  on  the  eighteenth  of 


, Jte          PINKL R TCN'S  DE 7  L C T..  VE 

October,  1816,  replied  Mrs.  Thayer;  "I  cannot  teli  you 
the  exact  hour." 

"That  will  be  sufficiently  accurate  for  the  present," 
said  Lucille ;  "  though  it  may  cause  me  much  trouble  in 
casting  your  horoscope." 

Lucille  continued  to  examine  the  lines  of  the  hand, 
and  presently  commenced  speaking  in  a  low,  but  clear 
voice : 

"Your  parents  are  dead,  and  also  one  brother;  your 
father  passed  through  great  dangers  safely — ah!  I  see, 
he  was  a  sailor.  You  have  been  surrounded  by  other 
sea-faring  people;  still,  I  cannot  certainly  tell  what 
relationship  they  bore  to  you.  I  shall  learn  all  when  I 
cast  your  horoscope.  Your  father  acquired  moderate 
wealth,  of  which  you  have  received  your  share ;  but  you 
desire  more,  and  you  are  not  too  scrupulous  as  to  how 
you  get  it.  Why,  what  means  this?"  she  exclaimed,  start 
ing  back  and  fixing  a  piercing  glance  on  the  cowering 
woman  before  her.  "  You  are  in  danger !  Yes ;  there  is 
danger  all  about  you,  but  it  is  impossible  to  tell  now  how 
it  will  end.  There  is  a  man  in  your  trouble,  who  claims 
to  love  you ;  and  there  is  a  woman  who  comes  between 
you.  Ah!  what  is  she  doing!"  she  suddenly  demanded 
in  tragical  tones,  starting  back  with  a  look  of  terror  in 
her  eyes. 

Mrs.  Thayer  fell  back  as  if  stabbed  to  the  heart,  and 
her  whole  attitude  denoted  guilty  fear.  Lucille,  fearing 
that  she  would  faint,  handed  her  a  glass  of  water,  which 
soon  revived  her  strength. 

As  soon   as   Mrs.  Thayer  had  sufficiently  recovered, 


THh  M UKDER&R  AND  FORJ  UNE  TELLER.      ItfS 

Lucille  again  took  her  hand  and  carefully  examined  it ; 
she  then  continued : 

"I  cannot  do  much  now,  but  you  must  come  again, 
when  I  have  more  time ;  then  I  will  cast  your  horoscope, 
and  will  be  able  to  tell  you  all  you  can  wish  to  know  ** 
Breaking  off  suddenly,  she  changed  her  tone  and  de 
manded  imperiously :  "  Who  is  this  woman  ?  Is  she  his 
enemy,  or  yours  ?  Are  you  sure  that  man  loves  you  /" 

"Oh.  yes;  I  am  sure  he  does,"  Mrs.  Thayer  replied, 
hastily. 

"Then  what  is  the  trouble  between  you  and  this 
woman  ?"  asked  Lucille.  "  She  is  older  than  you,  yet  she 
constantly  crosses  your  path."  Then,  closing  her  eyes, 
Lucille  broke  out  passionately  and  rapidly,  like  a  person 
in  a  trance :  "Why  does  she  act  so ?  What  is  the  matter 
with  her  ?  She  is  often  interfering  with  you,  but  is  always 
followed  by  that  man ;  he  must  be  her  enemy.  See !  a 
shadow  falls  over  her'  What  does  it  mean!  She  fades 
away  and  vanishes  —  it  must  be  death  !  " 

"  Death  '  "  shrieked  Mrs.  Thayer,  and  then  she  fell  back 
lifeless, 

Lucille  did  everything  possible  to  revive  her  visitor, 
but  it  was  some  minutes  before  she  recovered  sufficiently 
to  be  able  to  stand  alone.  She  finally  joined  Miss  Seaton, 
but  promised  to  call  the  next  day  to  have  her  horoscope 
read.  She  left  a  fee  of  ten  dollars  for  the  prepayment  of 
the  labor  which  Lucille  would  be  forced  to  perform  io 
reading  the  stars.  When  Miss  Seaton  and  Mrs.  Thayer 
left  the  room,  the  latter  was  scarcely  able  to  walk,  so 
much  was  she  agitated  and  alarmed.  They  reached  their 


300          PIMKEKTOWS  DETECTIVE  STORIES, 

boarding  no  use  in  safety,  however,  and  Mrs.  Thayer  at 
once  retired  to  her  room. 

A  large  crowd  of  visitors  had  already  assembled  in 
Madam  Lucille's  reception  room,  so  that  there  seemed  to 
be  a  fair  prospect  that  all  the  expenses  of  the  affair  would 
be  paid  out  of  the  fortune-teller's  receipts.  Indeed,  from 
the  very  first,  Mrs.  Warne  had  a  great  many  more  callers 
than  she  could  attend  to ;  but,  by  granting  each  one  a 
short  interview  on  the  first  day,  long  enough  to  learn  what 
information  they  desired,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  satisfy 
them  all  to  an  exceptional  extent.  I  put  two  good 
detectives  at  work  to  find  out  everything  possible  about 
the  parties  making  the  inquiries,  and  Lucille  was  thus 
able  to  astonish  them  with  the  accuracy  of  her  knowledge 
as  to  the  past.  Of  course,  she  was  at  liberty  to  exercise 
her  own  judgment  as  to  her  predictions  for  the  future, 
since  no  one  could  tell  whether  they  would  prove  true  or 
not. 

When  every  one  had  gone,  Mrs.  Warne  changed  her 
dress  and  returned  to  my  office,  where  we  had  a  hearty 
laugh  over  the  superstitious  folly  of  the  many  ladies  who 
had  consulted  her.  She  told  me  many  amusing  secrets, 
which  her  fair  visitors  had  confided  to  her,  and  I  learned 
that  some  of  the  most  fashionable  people  in  the  city  had 
invoked  her  aid.  She  was  rather  fatigued  by  her  labors, 
however,  as  the  weather  was  warm,  and  the  atmosphere 
of  her  room,  at  times,  became  almost  suffocating.  She 
said  that  she  had  made  an  engagement  to  admit  Mrs. 
Thayer  the  first  one,  the  next  morning. 

"Very  well,"  said  I,  "you  have  succeeded  in  startling 
her  very  much  indeed,  and  to-morrow  you  will  be  able  to 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     201 

do  much  more.  Be  careful,  however,  to  warn  her  against 
informing  any  one  else  of  what  you  have  told  her,  until 
her  whole  future  is  determined.  It  will  not  do  to  have 
her  alarm  Pattmore." 

"  I  will  caution  her  particularly  on  that  point,"  replied 
Mrs.  Warne ;  "  I  think  I  understand  pretty  well  about 
how  far  I  can  go  without  terrifying  her  too  much.  I  will 
send  for  Miss*  Seaton,  and  learn  how  Mrs.  Thayer  has 
acted  since  visiting  me." 

In  the  afternoon,  Captain  Sumner  came  in  and  asked 
what  steps  I  had  taken  in  his  case.  I  told  him  that  I 
could  not  tell  him  what  I  had  done,  nor  what  I  was  doing; 
but  he  could  rest  assured  that  the  best  talent  I  had  was 
employed  in  his  behalf;  if  everything  worked  as  I  hoped, 
I  should  accomplish  the  object  which  he  sought,  inside 
of  a  month. 

"Well,"  he  replied,  I  should  like  to  take  Annie  back  to 
Springfield  as  soon  as  possible ;  for  I  fear  that  she  is  again 
losing  her  health,  and  for  the  last  day  or  two,  she  has 
been  quite  ill.  Yesterday  she  received  a  letter  from  Patt 
more,  which  I  tried  to  snatch  from  her ;  but  she  was  too 
quick  for  me,  and  I  obtained  only  a  small  part  of  it.  Here 
it  is,"  he  continued,  showing  me  the  lower  corner  of  a 
letter;  "see  how  he  signs  himself." 

I  took  the  fragment  and  saw  the  same  signature  as  that 
which  Pattmore  had  used  in  his  former  letters:  "Your 
affectionate  husband."  The  Captain  went  on  : 

"  My  blood  got  up  when  I  read  this,  and  I  told  her  that 
if  she  ever  saw  Pattmore  again,  I  would  shoot  them  both ; 
that  I  would  no  longer  permit  her  to  disgrace  our  family, 
Then  she  also  flew  into  a  violent  passion,  and  said  that 


302          PINKER  TON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

she  loved  Pattmore,  and  that  he  intended  to  marry  her 
when  he  next  came  to  Chicago.  As  usual,  she  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  appeasing  my  anger,  and  she  promised  to  leave 
Pattmore  forever.  I  also  agreed  to  make  my  will  in  her 
favor,  and  we  thus  became  friends  again.  I  may  now  be 
able  to  get  her  away,  as  she  has  promised  to  go  as  soon 
as  she  is  able ;  but  I  can  easily  destroy  my  will,  if  she 
refuses  to  keep  her  promise.  What  do  you  think  about 
it  ?" 

"  Well,  it  can't  do  much  harm,  I  guess,  for  you  are  prob 
ably  in  no  particular  danger  just  now." 

"  Then  I  will  make  my  will  to-day.  By-the-by,  there 
is  a  great  fortune-teller  in  town ;  have  you  seen  her  adver 
tisement?" 

"  Yes,"  I  replied ;  "  but  there  is  nothing  unusual  in  that. 
You  can  find  such  people  here  at  all  times." 

"I  know  that,"  said  the  Captain;  "but  they  are  gen 
erally  mere  humbugs,  while  this  one  appears  to  be  of  a 
different  class.  She  has  been  in  the  East  Indies,  and  the 
fortune-tellers  there  are  not  humbugs,  as  I  know  by 
experience.  I  shall  go  to  see  her  to-morrow.  I  had  my 
fortune  told  once  by  a  Hindoo  in  Calcutta,  and  he  was 
correct  in  every  particular  as  far  as  he  went." 

After  the  Captain  had  gone  away,  I  sent  for  Mrs.  Warne 
and  told  her  that  she  would  receive  a  visit  from  the  Cap 
tain  next  day,  and  that  she  could  learn  all  about  his  past 
history  by  referring  to  the  conversation  which  my  steno 
grapher  had  taken  down  some  time  before.  I  then  looked 
over  a  report  I  had  just  received  from  Miller,  who  was 
still  watching  Pattmore  in  Greenville.  There  was  little  of 
importance  in  it  except  an  account  of  a  conversation 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      308 

between  Miller  and  Pattmore,  in  which  the  latter  said  that 
he  was  staking  everything  upon  the  hope  of  getting  the 
congressional  nomination;  if  he  should  fail  in  that,  he 
would  not  remain  in  Greenville,  but  would  go  to  Kansas 
to  live.  Miller  added  that  Pattmore  received  letters  daily 
from  Mrs.  Thayer. 

I  immediately  wrote  to  Miller  to  secure  a  copy  of  one 
of  Mrs.  Thayer's  letters ;  and,  if  possible,  to  intercept 
every  one  of  them.  I  felt  confident  that  she  would  de 
scribe  her  visit  to  the  fortune-teller  in  part,  at  least,  and 
I  was  anxious  to  know  how  much  she  would  reveal  to 
him.  Besides  if  he  were  disposed  to  be  superstitious,  he 
would  probably  be  more  or  less  affected  by  her  account, 
and  I  might  use  the  knowledge  thus  gained,  to  good 
advantage. 

Late  in  the  evening,  Miss  Seaton  came  in  and  told  Mrs. 
Warne  that  Mrs.  Thayer  had  been  greatly  agitated  by  her 
interview  with  Lucille;  that  she  had  shown  great  dejec 
tion  and  grief  all  the  way  home ;  and  that  she  had  imme 
diately  retired  to  her  room,  where  she  had  thrown  herself 
on  the  bed ;  that  she  had  risen,  late  in  the  evening,  and 
had  written  a  very  long  letter,  which  she  had  asked  Miss 
Seaton  to  put  in  the  post-office  for  her,  being  too  weak  to 
go  out  herself.  Of  course,  Miss  Seaton  gave  the  letter  to 
Mrs.  Warne,  who  immediately  brought  it  to  me.  I  opened 
it  at  once  and  hastily  read  it  through.  It  began,  "  My 
dear  husband,"  and  went  on  to  describe  her  visit  to  Lu 
cille.  She  gave  a  full  account  of  all  that  Lucille  had  said, 
and  also  related  the  effect  which  the  fortune-teller's  reve 
lations  had  had  upon  her.  She  said  significantly  that 
Pattmore  could  understand  how  much  she  had  been 


204  PINKER  TON 'S  DE  TECTI VE 

alarmed  by  the  references  to  the  woman  who  came  be 
tween  them,  for  the  inference  was  that  Lucille  meant 
Mrs.  Pattmore.  However,  she  was  going,  she  said,  to 
have  her  full  fortune  told  the  following  day,  and  she  would 
write  all  about  it  in  her  next  letter. 

I  had  the  letter  copied  and  sent  to  the  post-office  in 
time  for  the  first  mail. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

I  HAD  sent  word  to  my  New  York  correspondent  to 
make  a  thorough  search  for  Henry  Thayer,  as  I  wished 
to  learn  definitely  whether  he  was  alive  or  dead.  By 
communicating  with  the  London  board  of  underwriters, 
my  agent  learned  that  Henry  Thayer  was  in  command  of 
an  English  whaler  in  the  South  Sea.  At  the  latest  advices 
from  him,  he  was  nearly  ready  to  sail  for  England,  as  he 
needed  only  a  few  more  whales  to  complete  his  cargo.  I 
received  this  information  the  morning  after  Mrs.  Thayer's 
first  visit  to  Lucille,  and  I  communicated  the  news  to 
Mrs.  Warne  at  once,  instructing  her  to  make  the  best 
possible  use  of  it  in  her  coming  interview  with  Mrs. 
Thayer. 

Shortly  before  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning,  I  took  my 
place  behind  the  curtain.  In  a  few  minutes  Mrs.  Thayer 
and  Miss  Seaton  arrived,  and  Mrs.  Thayer  was  promptly 
admitted  to  Lucille's  presence.  She  removed  her  veil 
and  sank  into  the  visitor's  chair  with  an  expression  half 
of  longing  and  half  of  dread.  Again  Lucille  waved  her 
snaky  wand,  and,  as  before,  the  room  was  filled  with  the 
fumes  of  burning  incense.  Lucille  looked  at  Mrs. 
Thayer's  face  intently,  and  said : 

"  My  child,  I  am  pleased  to  see  you ;  I  have  worked  at 
your  horoscope  unremittingly,  but  it  k  not  completed  to 


306          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

my  satisfaction.  There  is  some  peculiar  influence  about 
you  which  prevents  a  clear  reading  of  your  future.  Even 
your  past,  though  much  of  it  is  easily  determined,  seems 
obscured  by  strange  inconsistencies  —  not  to  say  impossi 
bilities.  Some  of  the  results  were  so  startling  as  to  make 
it  necessary  for  me  to  refuse  to  reveal  them,  until,  by  a 
second  test,  I  can  decide  whether  there  was  no  mistake  in 
the  solution  of  certain  calculations.  To-night,  therefore, 
I  shall  do  what  rarely  is  necessary  in  reading  the  horo 
scope  of  ordinary  humans  —  I  must  invoke  the  aid  of  my 
progenitor  and  master,  Hermes.  It  is  a  dreadful  task; 
one  for  which  I  must  nerve  myself  to  meet  the  greatest 
dangers  and  the  most  frightful  scenes ;  but  I  never  shrink 
from  the  path  of  duty,  and  I  have  confidence  that  the 
sanctity  of  my  mission  will  give  me  safe  conduct,  even 
through  the  hosts  of  demons  who  must  be  met  before  I 
can  come  face  to  face  with  the  great  Egyptian  king." 

Lucille  spoke  with  a  weird  earnestness,  and  a  far-away 
look  in  her  eyes,  as  if  she  actually  realized  the  presence 
of  ghouls  and  goblins.  Mrs.  Thayer  fairly  shivered  with 
terror,  but  said  nothing,  and  Lucille  continued  : 

"  I  wish  I  dared  read  the  whole  of  the  horoscope  as 
it  was  divulged  to  me  in  the  lone  watches  of  last  night; 
but  I  have  decided  to  omit  all  those  portions  where  there 
is  a  possibility  that  the  malign  spirits  around  you  have 
misinterpreted  your  past  and  future.  When  you  were 
younger,  you  passed  your  days  in  happiness ;  you  were 
very  handsome,  and  you  could  charm  the  hearts  of  men 
without  difficulty.  There  has  been  with  you  frequently, 
during  your  past  years,  a  man  some  years  older  than 
yourself.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  sailor;  and,  though 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  7 ELLER.      2M 

;ften  away  from  you,  he  has  always  sought  you  out  on 
his  return.  He  loves  you,  and  is  undoubtedly  your  true 
friend ;  he  is  unmarried,  yet  he  does  not  wish  to  make 
you  his  wife.  He  wears  a  peculiar  ring  which  he  obtained 
in  the  East  Indies.  He  often  consults  this  ring,  and  it 
informs  him  whether  he  is  in  danger  or  the  reverse.  You 
do  not  love  this  sailor  as  well  as  he  loves  you,  and  he 
wishes  to  remove  you  from  the  other  man.  I  cannot 
understand  the  actions  of  the  woman  whom  I  mentioned 
yesterday;  1  cannot  tell  whether  she  is  living  or  dead. 
The  man  you  love  has  been  with  her ;  he  gave  her  some 
thing  in  a  spoon  which  she  was  forced  to  take.  Ah !  I 
see !  it  was  a  medicine,  a  white  powder  —  and  now  begins 
the  obscurity.  Further  on,  I  see  that  he  visited  you; 
you  ran  to  meet  him  and  plied  him  with  caresses.  If  he 
were  your  husband  it  would  partly  clear  away  the  cloud. 
Is  it  so  ?" 

"Yes,"  Mrs.  Thayer  at  length  replied,  "he  is  my 
husband." 

44  Well,  that  removes  much  of  the  uncertainty ;  this 
woman  loved  that  man  and  wished  to  keep  him  away 
from  you  ;  he  gave  her  a  powder  to  make  her  sleep,  so 
that  he  could  escape  from  her." 

Then,  suddenly  catching  Mrs.  Thayer's  hand,  Lucille 
glanced  over  it  rapidly,  and  again  closely  examined  the 
chart.  Drawing  back  from  Mrs.  Thayer,  she  eyed  her 
sternly  and  disapprovingly. 

44  Who  is  this  other  man?"  she  asked;  4' he,  too,  is  a 
sailor;  he  is  handsome;  he  is  brave;  he  is  an  officer; 
yes,  he  commands  a  ship.  He  has  been  much  with  you. 
but  he  is  now  far  away.  You  loved  him  once,  but  now 


306  PINKERTON'S  DE7ECTJVE  S1GR2E!>, 

the  other  man  has  come  between  you."  Then,  pausing  a 
moment,  she  broke  forth  rapidly  and  harshly  :  "  Woman, 
you  have  tried  to  deceive  me  I  This  sea  captain  is  your 
husband!" 

Mrs.  Thayer  was  only  able  to  say,  as  she  fell  back, 
fainting : 

"  He  is  dead  !  he  is " 

Lucille  soon  revived  her,  and  then  asked  whether  she 
was  strong  enough  to  hear  the  remainder  of  her  fortune. 
Mrs.  Thayer  signified  her  assent,  and  Lucille  again 
examined  the  chart.  She  first  said  : 

"  You  cannot  deceive  me ;  your  husband  is  away  at  sea ; 
is  it  not  so?" 

"  He  was  my  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Thayer,  in  a  half 
nudible  voice ;  "  but  he  went  away  several  years  ago,  and 
I  heard  that  he  was  dead.  I  had  fallen  in  love  with  the 
other  man,  and,  on  hearing  of  my  husband's  death,  I 
married  the  man  I  loved.  It  can't  be  possible  that  Henry 
is  alive." 

"Yes,  he  is,"  replied  Lucille;  "and  I  think  he  is  about 
to  return  to  seek  for  you;  but  the  horoscope  again 
becomes  obscure.  It  is  as  I  feared ;  the  only  means  of 
learning  the  truth  will  be  through  the  aid  of  the  dread 
Hermes,  whose  power  no  demon  can  resist.  To-morrow 
you  shall  learn  all  that  my  art  can  discover  about  your 
past  and  your  future." 

"  But  can  you  tell  me  no  more  than  this  to-day  ?"  asked 
Mrs.  Thayer,  in  a  vexed  tone.  "  You  have  given  me  only 
bad  news.  How  long  shall  I  live  and  be  happy  with  my 
husband  ?" 

"  That  man  is  not  your  husband,  and  you  cannot  long 


THE  M  URDERER  A  ND  FOR  T  UNE  TELLER.     800 

live  happily  with  him.  As  far  as  the  cloud  permits  me  to 
see,  I  can  discern  that  something  terrible  is  about  to 
happen  to  him.  You  are  in  danger  yourself;  there  seems 
to  be  a  strange  fatality  attending  your  fate  wherever  it 
comes  in  contact  with  that  man ;  it  is  especially  gloomy 
when  complicated  by  tbe  presence  of  the  other  woman. 
As  I  have  before  told  you,  I  cannot  clearly  see  from  this 
horoscope  what  will  be  your  absolute  future ;  but  I  can 
tell  you  this  much :  —  and,  woman,  weigh  well  my  words, 
for  the  spirit  of  prophecy  is  strong  within  me — your 
future  is  dependent  upon  your  present  decision.  Fate  is 
unchangeable,  and  neither  seer  nor  sibyl  can  alter  its 
least  decree  ;  but  it  is  sometimes  permitted  to  us  to  deter 
mine  the  contingent  future  of  a  person  and  no  more.  We 
then  say,  thus  and  thus  has  been  the  past;  the  future 
may  be  thus,  or  it  may  be  so ;  one  course  of  conduct 
now,  will  lead  to  this  result ;  the  other  will  lead  to  that. 
Yours  is  such  a  horoscope ;  and,  even  with  the  aid  of  my 
mighty  master,  I  cannot  expect  to  do  anything  more  than 
to  learn  definitely  the  two  alternatives  which  are  to  be 
presented  to  you,  and  the  consequence  of  your  decision 
each  way.  To-morrow  I  will  see  you  again  at  an  early 
hour,  and  will  tell  you  all  I  have  learned  during  the 
night." 

"Can  you  tell  me  no  more  now?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Thayer,  impatiently.  "  Is  it  then  true  that  my  first 
husband  is  alive?" 

"It  is  true,"  replied  Lucille;  "and  he   is   at   present 
commanding  a  ship  far  away  in  the  South  Sea,  which  is 
the  reason  why  you  could  not  find  him." 
14 


210  PINKERTON^S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  ever  looked  for  him  ?"  said 
Mrs.  Thayer,  languidly. 

"  No ;  you  did  not  look  for  him ;  but  the  other  sailor 
who  loves  you,  made  inquiries  for  a  long  time.  I  see  him 
plainer  now ;  he  must  be  your  brother." 

Mrs.  Thayer  had  been  very  much  awed  by  the  imposing 
manners  of  Lucille,  and  by  the  mystic  surroundings  in 
which  she  was  placed.  She  was  now  quite  in  Lucille's 
power,  and  I  should  have  proceeded  to  force  her  to  reveal 
the  truth  about  Pattmore's  crime,  had  she  been  stronger 
physically ;  but  I  was  afraid  to  test  her  endurance  too  far 
in  one  day.  I  had  arranged  a  series  of  simple  signals, 
which  would  not  attract  the  attention  of  any  one  but 
Lucille,  and  I  therefore  signalled  to  her  that  she  might 
close  the  interview.  Mrs.  Thayer  lifted  her  head  to  look 
at  Lucille  a  few  moments  after  the  latter  had  spoken  of 
her  brother,  and  said  : 

"  You  are  the  strangest  woman  I  have  ever  met.  You 
have  told  me  things  which  I  believed  were  known  only  by 
myself.  All  that  you  have  said  is  the  truth ;  but  you  do 
not  tell  me  enough.  I  wish  to  know  what  I  must  do  to 
make  amends  for  all  the  wrong  I  have  done.  I  have  been 
very  wicked,  I  know." 

"  If  you  really  wish  to  do  right,  there  is  still  a  prospect 
that  you  may  be  happy.  My  duty  is  to  show  you  Jiat 
you  are  doing  wrong,  and  to  help  you  to  change  your 
course  of  action." 

"  Will  you  not  tell  me  about  my — " 

Mrs.  Thayer  could  not  complete  the  sentence,  but  she 
evidently  meant  Pattmore,  so  Lucille  said : 

"  Yes,  my  child ;  I  will  tell  you  all  to-morrow ;  but  I 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.     2h 

think  you  are  unable  to  bear  more  at  present.  1  will 
point  out  two  paths,  and  will  show  you  where  each  one 
of  them  leads :  then,  ii  you  wish,  I  will  give  you  my 
advice;  after  that,  all  will  depend  upon  yourselt.  You. 
can  be  happy  again,  if  you  decide  to  follow  my  counsel." 

"Indeed,  I  will  try  to  do  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Thayer.  "I 
have  suffered  myself  to  be  led  astray ;  but,  hereafter,  I 
will  be  guided  by  you.  I  never  before  heard  a  fortune 
teller  who  could  talk  as  you  do, — you  give  such  good 
advice." 

"  I  endeavor  to  use  my  powers  for  the  good  of  man 
kind,"  said  Lucille,  solemnly.  "I  speak  only  what  I 
know  to  be  true.  When  I  have  told  you  all,  you  must 
decide  upon  your  course ;  and,  it  you  choose  the  right 
one,  you  will,  doubtless,  be  very  happy.  Be  careful  that 
you  do  not  reveal  to  any  one  the  knowledge  you  have  this 
day  learned  from  me ;  when  you  have  heard  all,  you  can 
tell  as  much  as  you  please.  Farewell,  my  child;  be 
here  promptly  at  ten  o'clock  to-morrow,  for  my  time  is 
precious." 

Mrs.  Thayer  withdrew,  joined  Miss  Seaton  in  the 
reception  room,  and  they  returned  home.  Lucille  then 
received  in  rapid  succession  the  visitors  who  had  made 
appointments  the  previous  day.  She  had  a  note-book 
filled  with  information  obtained  by  my  detectives,  and 
she  was  thus  enabled  to  satisfy  them  all  immediately ;  or 
else,  to  postpone  telling  their  fortunes  until  the  next 
day.  Then  the  new  arrivals  were  admited  long  enough 
to  tell  what  they  wished  to  know,  after  which  they  each 
received  appointments  for  the  next  day.  When  all  were 
disposed  of,  Lucille  came  into  the  back  room  to  Change 


<t*         PMK&MOX'*  DSTECTiVb  STOJUE& 

her  dress.  I  congratulated  her  upon  her  success,  and 
was  about  to  withdraw  with  my  stenographer,  when  the 
usher  came  in  and  said  that  a  gentleman  desired  an 
audience.  From  his  description,  I  felt  confident  that 
Captain  Sumner  was  the  person  who  had  arrived.  I 
therefore  begged  Lucille  to  give  him  a  full  sitting,  and  to 
lead  his  past  for  him  very  thoroughly. 

"By  the  way,"  I  added,  "you  recollect  that  while  he 
was  away  at  sea,  his  sweetheart,  Miss  Curtis,  married  a 
wealthy  New  York  banker,  named  Agnew.  Well,  I  saw 
a  notice  the  other  day  of  the  death  of  a  banker  of  that 
name  in  New  York,  and  I  feel  sure  that  his  old  flame  is 
now  a  widow.  I  want  you  to  refer  to  this  fact  in  telling 
his  future." 

"Oh!  well,"  said  Lucille,  with  some  vexation,  "I'm 
rather  tired  of  the  business  already,  and  I  don't  care  to 
spend  the  whole  afternoon  in  that  hot  room ;  so  I  shall 
get  rid  of  him  as  soon  as  he  is  satisfied.  If  you  want  to 
tell  me  anything,  make  a  sound  like  the  gnawing  of  a  rat, 
and  I  will  come  out." 

Accordingly,  I  resumed  my  place  at  the  door,  with 
my  stenographer  close  beside  me,  and  the  Captain  was 
ushered  into  Lucille 's  room.  She  motioned  to  him  to  be 
seated,  and  then  asked,  in  her  most  commanding  tones  : 

"What  can  you  learn  irom  Lucille  that  you  have  not 
already  learned  irom  the  Hindoo  o*  Calcutta?" 

The  Captain  regarded  her  for  an  instant  in  reverent 
amazement ;  but,  finally,  he  said  : 

*  I  see  that  you  know  my  past,  and  that  you  are  truly 
one  of  those  who  can  read  the  fate  of  others.  I  am  in 
tremble,  and  I  wish  to  know  when  I  shall  escape  from  it, 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     31* 

if  ever.  The  Hindoo  told  me  much,  but  I  would  know 
more." 

Without  further  conversation,  except  to  ask  the  day 
and  hour  of  his  birth,  Lucille  proceeded  to  pore  over  a 
chart  and  to  examine  his  hand.  Finally,  she  gazed  at 
him  steadily  a  few  minutes,  and  said  : 

"  What  I  have  to  say  is  the  truth  alone ;  if  it  be  painful 
to  you,  it  is  because  the  truth  is  not  always  pleasant. 
Listen  calmly,  therefore,  to  the  words  which  the  stars 
declare  to  be  true:  Your  parents  are  both  dead;  your 
father  was  a  sea-captain,  and  he  brought  you  up  in  the 
same  profession.  On  one  of  his  cruises,  a  Sepoy  pre 
sented  him  with  three  rings,  one  of  which  you  now  wear ; 
its  powers  are  very  great,  and  it  has  frequently  rendered 
you  important  services;  take  care  that  you  lose  it  not. 
It  has  even  saved  your  life.  Yes,"  she  continued,  after 
closely  examining  the  palm  of  his  left  hand ;  "  your  life 
has  been  attempted  three  separate  times  lately.  You 
have  two  sisters  living;  one  of  them  is  happily  married 
and  lives  in  comfort  in  an  eastern  State ;  the  other 
married  a  sea-captain,  but  she  does  not  live  with  her 
husband.  She  is  with  you,  and  is  in  poor  health.  Why ! 
is  it  possible!"  she  exclaimed,  suddenly.  " It  was  your 
sister  who  made  the  attempt  on  your  lite !  You  may  not 
suspect  that  your  young  and  charming  sister,  whom  you 
so  deeply  love,  could  have  been  guilty  of  such  an  act ; 
but,  unless  my  powers  have  failed  me  so  that  I  cannot 
read  the  stars  aright,  such  is  the  fact.  Wait ;  lest  I  should 
have  made  a  mistake,  I  will  try  again.  It  seems  too 
horrible  to  be  believed." 


»14  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

The  Captain  had  buried  his  face  in  his  hands ;  but 
now  he  looked  up  and  said  : 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  try  again  ;  you  are  right,  i  see 
that  you  are  one  of  the  gifted  ones  of  this  world,  and  I 
wish  you  to  tell  me  all ;  I  can  bear  it." 

Lucille  continued  her  examination  of  the  Captain's  hand 
as  she  went  on  speaking : 

"  Your  sister  still  has  the  same  kind  of  poison  with  hei 
which  she  used  before.  She  does  not  intend  to  use  it 
herself —  she  has  no  motive  for  committing  suicide ;  but 
she  may  intend  to  give  it  to  you  again.  You  must  be 
careful,  for  that  is  your  greatest  danger.  Your  principal 
trouble  for  some  time  has  been  caused  by  that  sister.  She 
no  longer  loves  her  husband,  who  has  wholly  disappeared 
from  your  knowledge,  and  she  professes  to  believe  that 
he  is  dead.  This  is  not  the  case,  however :  he  is  now  in 
command  of  an  English  whaling  ship  in  the  South  Sea, 
and  he  will  soon  return  to  England." 

At  this,  the  Captain  sprang  up  in  a  whirl  of  excitement 
and  joy.  In  relating  the  story  to  me  the  next  day,  he  said 
that  he  felt  like  taking  Lucille  in  his  arms  and  giving  her 
a  genuine  sailor  hug ;  but  she  looked  so  fierce  and  wicked 
that  he  got  the  idea  that  she  was  a  genuine  witch ;  and  he 
was  afraid  that  her  beautiful  white  hands  would  turn  into 
claws,  and  that  she  would  soon  make  a  meal  of  him,  if 
she  felt  so  disposed. 

When  he  sat  down  again,  Lucille  again  scanned  the 
chart  and  compared  it  with  his  hand.  She  seemed  very 
much  disturbed  at  the  revelations,  and,  at  length,  she 
said: 

"  Your  troubles  are  so  closely  interwoven  with  those  of 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.       215 

your  sister  that  I  cannot  separate  them ;  but  I  never  saw 
a  horoscope  so  full  of  frightful  scenes  —  I  do  not  wish  to 
go  on  with  it." 

"  Please  do  not  stop,"  said  the  Captain  ;  "  I  feel  that  you 
have  the  power  to  tell  me  all,  and  I  must  know  it.  I  will 
pay  you  anything  you  ask,"  he  added,  taking  out  a  roll  of 
money. 

"  My  fees  are  invariable,"  said  Lucille,  drawing  herself 
up  haughtily.  "You  insult  me  by  suggesting  that  I  need 
to  be  paid  extra  to  tell  the  truth." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  replied  the  Captain  excitedly; 
"  but  I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  to  tell  me  all  you  know. 
I  can  bear  it,  I  assure  you." 

"  Know  then  that  your  sister  is  deeply  in  love  with  a 
very  bad  man,  who  lives  two  or  three  hundred  miles  from 
here.  She  became  acquainted  with  him  in  the  East  and 
he  seduced  her,  though  he  was  a  married  man,  living  with 
his  lawful  wife.  To  quiet  your  sister's  scruples,  he  had  a 
marriage  ceremony  performed ;  but,  of  course,  it  had  no 
legal  value,  since  both  of  the  parties  were  already  married. 
She  became  enceinte  by  this  man,  and  she  caused  the  pre 
mature  removal  of  the  evidence  of  her  shame  by  an  abor 
tion.  This  crime  you  connived  at,  though  you  did  not 
advise  it.  But  the  worst  is  not  yet  told  :  this  wicked  man, 
finding  that  you  were  determined  to  prevent  him  from 
seeing  your  sister,  resolved  to  murder  his  wife,  and  to  marry 
your  sister  legally,  supposing  that  her  husband  was  dead. 
He  accomplished  part  of  his  design  by  poisoning  his  wife ; 
but  he  has  not  yet  been  able  to  carry  out  the  whole  of  his 
plan.  He  is  now  in  danger,  but  he  knows  it  not.  He 
will  soon  be  arrested  and  tried  for  murder.  If  you  can 


ilb  J 'iNKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  S'l  OKIES. 

succeed  m  uniting  your  sister  and  her  lawful  husband^ 
they  may  be  able  to  forget  the  past  and  live  together  hap 
pily.  All,  however,  depends  upon  her.  At  present  she 
is  in  deep  distress,  but  the  effect  of  it  will  DC  f?ood  for  her. 
There  is  a  strong  hope  that  she  may  be  led  to  see  the 
character  of  her  wicked  lover  in  its  true  light,  and  that 
she  may  return  penitently  to  the  arms  of  her  husband, 
if  he  will  receive  her." 

"  Oh  !  he  will,  I  know  he  will,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  Then,  when  that  happens,  your  troubles  will  be  at  an 
end.  Now  I  can  tell  you  but  little  more,  as  I  have  a  great 
task  to  perform,  and  I  must  be  left  alone." 

On  hearing  Lucille  say  this,  I  immediately  gave  the 
signal,  as  agreed,  and  she  made  an  excuse  to  leave  the 
room  for  a  moment. 

"  What  more  do  you  want  ?"  she  asked. 

"  You  have  forgotten  to  tell  him  about  his  old  sweet 
heart,  Mrs.  Agnew." 

"Oh!  let  me  skip  that,"  said  Lucille  impatiently,  "1 
am  nearly  exhausted,  and  I  cannot  stand  the  atmosphere 
of  that  room  much  longer." 

"  Just  tell  the  Captain  about  Mrs.  Agnew,  and  then  you 
will  be  through  work  for  the  day.  Try  to  send  him  otf 
happy,"  I  pleaded. 

"  Oh  !  yes ;  that  is  always  the  way  :  provided  the  Cap 
tain  goes  away  happy,  you  don't  care  what  becomes  of  me. 
Well,  I  suppose  I  must ;  but  I  will  never  undertake  such 
a  role  again." 

When  Lucille  returned  to  the  Captain,  he  was  sitting 
with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands;  but  he  looked  up 


7 HE  MURDERER  AN£> FORTUNE  TELLER.     817 

instantly  and  asked  whether  she  had  anything  more  to  tell 
him. 

She  looked  at  the  chart  for  a  few  minutes  and  then 
said : 

"  In  your  youth,  you  loved  a  lady  of  great  beauty,  and 
she  returned  your  love ;  but  while  you  were  away  at  sea, 
her  parents  made  her  believe  that  you  were  false  to  her. 
They  wished  her  to  marry  a  wealthy  banker,  and,  in  a  fit 
of  pique,  she  accepted  him.  She  has  always  loved  you  in 
secret,  however,  and  now  that  her  husband  is  dead  — " 

"Is  that  so?"  eiaculated  the  Captain,  springing  up  in 
great  delight. 

"Yes,"  replied  Lucille  ;  "  he  died  a  short  time  ago,  and 
she  is  now  passing  her  widowhood  in  New  York.  She  is 
stouter  than  she  was,  but  she  is  still  handsome,  and  she 
has  never  ceased  to  love  you.  This  completes  the  reading 
of  your  horoscope." 

The  Captain  rose  to  go,  but  paused  to  express  his  feel 
ings.  He  spoke  slowly  and  with  great  emotion,  since 
Lucille  had  completely  secured  his  confidence. 

"  Madam,  I  thank  you  from  my  heart  for  the  revelations 
you  have  made  to  me.  I  know  that  most  of  the  things 
you  have  told  me  are  true,  and  I  am  satisfied  of  the  truth 
of  the  rest  also.  I  should  like  to  pay  you  in  proportion 
to  the  value  of  your  words  to  me."  So  saying  he  went 
out  quickly,  leaving  one  hundred  dollars  on  the  table. 

I  found  that  Lucille's  fame  was  becoming  uncomforta 
bly  great,  since  the  reception-room  was  thronged  with 
eager  inquirers,  who  insisted  on  seeing  her,  even  after 
the  dose  of  her  office  hours.  I,  therefore,  arranged 


218          PlNKERTON'b  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

with  Mr.  Bangs,  my  general  superintendent,  to  have  a 
crowd  of  my  own  employees  constantly  in  attendance,  so 
that  outsiders,  seeing  so  many  others  waiting  for  an  audi 
ence,  would  not  remain.  By  this  means,  Lucille  was  able 
thereafter,  to  receive  as  many,  or  as  few,  as  she  chose,  and 
her  labors  were  greatly  lightened. 


CHAPTER    X. 

AtfTER  the  interview  with  Lucille,  Mrs.  Thayer 
returned  to  her  boarding-house  with  Miss  Seaton, 
and  invited  the  latter  to  spend  the  day  with  her.  She 
said  that  she  was  low-spirited  and  wanted  company  to 
keep  off  the  "blues."  She  was  very  nervous,  and  she 
could  not  take  an  interest  in  anything.  She  said  several 
times  that  Lucille  was  the  most  wonderful  person  she 
had  ever  met,  and  that  she  had  heard  things  which  con 
vinced  her  of  Lucille's  supernatural  powers ;  but  she 
carefully  avoided  stating  anything  definite  relative  to  the 
revelations  made  to  her.  Finally  she  commenced  to 
write  a  long  letter,  and  Miss  Seaton  became  absorbed  in 
a  novel. 

After  some  time  the  Captain  came  in,  looking  very 
solemn,  and  Miss  Seaton  saw  that  he  wished  to  have  a 
private  talk  with  Mrs.  Thayer.  Accordingly  she  rose  to 
leave  the  room,  remarking  that  she  was  going  down  town 
in  the  evening  and  would  like  to  have  Mrs.  Thayer 
accompany  her.  Miss  Seaton  knew  that  it  was  very 
improbable  that  Mrs.  Thayer  would  go,  on  account  of  the 
fatigue  and  excitement  of  the  morning;  but  she  hoped 
that  the  latter  would  give  her  the  letter  to  put  in  the 
post-office.  On  hearing  the  approach  of  the  Captain, 
Mrs.  Thayer  had  hastily  concealed  her  writing  materials, 
thus  showing  that  she  was  writing  to  Pattmore.  On 


880         PINKERTQN'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

entering  her  own  room,  Miss  Seaton  took  a  seat  close  by 
a  door  which  connected  the  two  rooms.  This  door  was 
nailed  up  and  the  cracks  had  been  filled  with  cotton; 
but  she  quickly  pulled  out  the  filling  and  obtained  an 
excellent  opening  to  hear  all  the  conversation  in  the  next 
room. 

The  Captain  first  asked  his  sister  when  she  would  be 
ready  to  return  to  Springfield  with  him.  She  replied 
that  she  would  go  as  soon  as  she  felt  able  to  stand 
the  journey. 

"Annie,"  said  he,  in  an  impressive  manner,  "I  fear 
that  you  are  deceiving  me,  and  that  you  intend  to  do  me 
havn.  Why  do  you  seek  my  life?  You  know  that  I 
have  done  all  I  could  for  you,  and  that  I  will  continue  to 
do  so.  Why,  then,  do  you  wish  to  poison  me  ?  I  know 
that  you  have  poison  with  you,  and  that  I  am  the  only 
one  for  whom  it  can  be  intended." 

"No,  no,  you  are  wrong,"  replied  Mrs.  Thayer,  in 
trembling  tones  ;  "  you  are  my  brother,  and  why  should  I 
wish  to  injure  you  ?" 

"  Annie,  I  know  that  you  have  poison  about  you,"  said 
the  Captain,  firmly,  "  and  I  am  afraid  to  remain  with  you 
any  longer.  I  have  forgiven  you  once,  but  now  it  is  my 
duty  to  cast  you  off;  you  are  plotting  to  take  my  life" 

"  Who  told  you  this  ?  What  reason  have  I  given  you 
for  thinking  so?"  demanded  Mrs. Thayer. 

"  I  have  been  to  see  a  wonderful  fortune-teller, 
who " 

The  words  had  no  more  than  passed  her  lips,  when  he 
was  interrupted  by  an  exclamation  of  terror  and  surprise 
from  Mrs.  Thayer,  who  started  to  her  feet  and  then  fell 


THE  MURDERER  A  ND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     Ml 

back  upon  the  sofa,  fainting.  The  Captain  was  much 
alarmed  at  the  effect  of  his  remark,  and  he  could  not 
understand  why  she  had  fainted  at  the  mere  mention  of 
the  source  of  his  information.  However,  he  did  not 
spend  any  time  in  trying  to  account  for  her  terror ;  his 
first  action  was  to  bathe  her  temples  with  cold  water,  in 
order  to  restore  her  to  consciousness.  When  she  had 
partly  revived,  she  lay  on  the  sofa  with  her  eyes  closed, 
as  if  she  had  no  strength  left.  Finally  she  spoke  in  a 
weak  voice,  without  looking  at  her  brother: 

"Was  it  a  fortune-teller  who  told  you  what  you  have 
just  accused  me  of?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Captain,  "and  I  know  that  she 
speaks  the  truth." 

"  My  God  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thayer,  "  how  could  that 
woman  have  known  that?  Well,  it  is  true  that  I  have 
some  poison,  though,  as  God  is  my  judge,  it  was  not  meant 
for  you ;  but,  I  was  resolved  that  if  I  could  not  escape 
from  my  present  misery,  I  would  take  it  myself.  Never, 
for  an  instant,  did  I  intend  it  for  you." 

"In  either  case,  Annie,  I  must  have  the  poison." 

Mrs.  Thayer  rose  with  great  effort,  and,  going  to  her 
trunk,  produced  a  small  package  labeled  "  POISON,"  in 
conspicuous  letters.  She  handed  it  to  the  Captain,  and 
he  said : 

"  I  will  now  destroy  this  package  and  thus  remove  all 
temptation  from  you ;  let  us  both  thank  God  that  you 
have  been  prevented  from  carrying  out  your  design.  O, 
Annie  !  may  this  be  the  last  time  that  I  ever  shall  have 
reason  to  doubt  you.  The  fortune-teller  whom  I  men 
tioned  is  a  wonderful  woman.  I  learned  from  her  many 


222         PINKER  TON  S  DE  TE  CT1 VE  STORIES. 

things  which  I  will  tell  you  when  you  are  strong  enough 
to  hear  them." 

"  I  should  like  you  to  tell  me  very  much,"  said  Mrs. 
Thayer,  eagerly ;  "  perhaps  she  could  tell  my  fortune,  if 
I  should  visit  her." 

"Yes,  indeed;  she  could  tell  you  all  your  past  and 
future;  you  ought  to  go  there." 

"Well,  I  guess  I  will  try  to  go  to-morrow,  if  I  am 
strong  enough,"  said  Mrs.  Thayer. 

The  Captain  kissed  her  tenderly,  and  said : 

"  Annie,  never  again  follow  the  advice  of  an  evil  coun 
sellor  ;  you  will  never  be  happy  while  you  continue  in  a 
path  which  you  know  to  be  wrong.  The  fortune-teller 
had  good  news  for  us  both,  and  all  will  go  well  if  you  will 
only  be  guided  by  the  wishes  of  your  true  friends,  who 
love  you  and  who  desire  to  save  you  from  sorrow." 

The  Captain  then  went  out  and  left  Mrs.  Thayer  dozing 
on  the  sofa. 

In  the  evening,  after  supper,  Miss  Seaton  went  to  Mrs. 
Thayer's  room  to  see  whether  the  latter  wished  to  take  a 
walk.  Mrs.  Thayer  was  not  able  to  go  out,  but  she  asked 
Miss  Seaton  to  put  a  letter  in  the  post-office  for  her. 
Miss  Seaton  took  the  letter  and  brought  it  straight  to  Mrs. 
Warne,  who  delivered  it  to  me  at  once.  I  opened  it  and 
read  it  aloud  to  my  stenographer,  who  took  down  its 
contents  as  fast  as  the  words  fell  from  my  lips. 

The  letter  contained  a  full  account  of  Mrs.  Thayer's 
second  visit  to  Lucille,  and  it  betrayed  great  fear  of  dis 
covery  and  punishment.  She  said  that  she  had  thought 
their  secret  to  be  perfectly  safe,  but  now  she  knew  that 
there  was  at  least  one  person  who  could  disclose  their 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      223 

guilt  to  the  world,  since  that  person  had  the  power  of 
finding  out  everything.  She  begged  him  to  come  to 
Chicago,  to  see  Lucille,  and  have  his  fortune  told ;  he 
would  then  learn  the  wonderful  extent  of  her  powers,  and 
would  be  able  to  decide  what  was  the  best  course  to 
pursue.  She  thought  he  ought  to  fly  for  safety  at  once, 
since  the  fortune-teller  predicted  that  he  was  in  great 
danger.  As  for  herself,  she  expected  to  go  East  soon,  as 
her  brother  was  anxious  to  start.  If  Pattmore  did  not 
come  to  Chicago  immediately  she  might  never  see  him 
again ;  she  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  separation,  but  she 
knew  that  it  must  come.  It  was  evident  that  Mrs.  Thayer 
had  wholly  forgotten  Lucille's  injunction  to  maintain 
silence  upon  the  subject  of  her  revelations,  and  I  debated 
an  instant  whether  I  should  send  the  letter ;  but  I  finally 
decided  to  let  it  go,  as  he  would  receive  it  too  late  to 
interfere  with  my  plans,  even  if  he  should  come  to 
Chicago.  I  sent  a  letter  to  Miller  by  the  same  mail, 
telling  him  to  keep  a  strict  watch  on  Pattmore,  as  I  feared 
that  he  might  leave  Greenville  suddenly.  In  case  of  such 
a  movement  Miller  must  telegraph  to  me  instantly. 

Miller's  reports  for  several  days  had  been  to  the  effect 
that  Pattmore  was  working  very  hard  to  secure  the  Con 
gressional  nomination,  but  that  he  seemed  very  much 
troubled  about  some  other  matter.  He  had  changed  his 
mind  about  going  West,  and  had  asked  Miller  to  go  to 
Galveston,  Texas,  with  him,  in  case  he  failed  to  get  the 
nomination.  Although  he  still  had  hosts  of  friends,  he 
did  not  confide  his  plans  to  any  one  except  Miller.  This 
showed  me  that  there  would  be  but  little  probability  that 
Pattmore  would  come  to  Chicago  without  Miller's  knowl- 


324  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

edge.  That  same  evening  Miller  sent  me  a  telegram 
stating  that  Pattmore  had  just  received  a  long  letter,  evi 
dently  from  Mrs.  Thayer;  on  reading  it  he  had  shown 
great  excitement,  and  had  afterwards  become  gloomy  and 
dejected  to  an  unusual  degree.  Miller  wished  to  know 
whether  I  had  any  special  instructions  about  the  letter. 
As  this  was  the  letter  which'Miss  Seaton  had  secured  the 
day  before,  I  replied  that  he  need  not  trouble  himself 
about  it,  but  that  he  must  keep  a  close  watch  upon 
Pattmore,  and  endeavor  to  retain  him  in  Greenville  as 
long  as  possible. 

By  the  early  mail  next  morning  I  received  a  letter  from 
Dr.  Stuart,  of  Greenville ;  having  finished  the  work  upon 
which  he  had  been  engaged,  he  had  begun  the  analysis 
of  Mrs.  Pattmore 's  bowels ;  he  said  that  he  would  let  me 
know  the  result  within  a  few  days. 

The  whole  affair  was  now  gradually  drawing  to  a  focus, 
and  I  felt  confident  of  a  successful  termination.  I  there 
fore  instructed  Mrs.  Warne  to  describe  me  to  Mrs.  Thayer, 
and  to  say  that  I  was  watching  her  movements  constantly. 

About  nine  o'clock  that  morning  Mrs.  Thayer  went  out 
as  usual  with  Miss  Seaton,  and  they  proceeded  straight  to 
Lucille's  rooms.  They  were  the  first  arrivals,  and  Mrs. 
Thayer  was  admitted  to  Lucille's  presence  at  once ;  but 
Miss  Seaton  immediately  went  back  to  her  boarding- 
house,  as  I  wished  to  have  Mrs.  Thayer  return  home 
alone.  Mrs.  Thayer  was  in  a  more  impressionable  state 
than  ever  before.  The  day  was  dark  and  lowering, 
showing  every  sign  of  an  approaching  storm;  outside 
there  had  been  the  noisy  bustle  of  active  business  life, 
while  within  the  limits  of  Lucille's  mystic  chamber  all 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     226 

was  hushed  in  a  deathly  silence.  The  monotonous 
swinging  of  the  lamps,  the  perfume-laden  air,  the  ghastly 
skeletons,  and  the  imperious  bearing  and  powerful  will 
of  Lucille — all  struck  upon  her  imagination  with  resist 
less  force.  As  she  sank  into  the  seat  which  Lucille 
pointed  out,  she  felt  like  a  criminal  entering  the  prisoner's 
dock  for  trial.  She  felt  that  she  must  relieve  herself  from 
her  load  of  guilt  or  she  would  forever  suffer  the  torments 
of  remorse. 

"Well,  my  child,"  said  Lucille,  in  her  most  solemn 
tones,  "  to-day  you  have  come  to  learn  all,  and  I  trust 
that  you  have  nerved  yourself  to  sustain  the  revelations 
which  I  have  to  make.  I  have  been  through  many  diffi 
culties  and  terrible  dangers  since  I  last  saw  you,  and  a 
very  sad  story  has  been  laid  before  me.  Your  situation 
is  one  of  great  peril,  and  upon  your  own  decision  this 
day  will  rest  your  hopes  of  happiness  hereafter.  Still, 
you  must  not  be  cast  down ;  if  you  will  only  resolve  to  do 
what  is  right,  your  sorrows  will  gradually  pass  away, 
while  health  and  happiness  will  steadily  return  to  you. 
Your  worst  crime  was  the  destruction  of  your  unborn 
child,  for  that  was  a  sin  against  nature  herself;  but  true 
repentance  will  save  you  from  the  effects  of  that  sin, 
further  than  you  have  already  suffered." 

This  was  the  first  time  Lucille  had  mentioned  the  fact 
that  she  knew  of  the  abortion ;  yet  it  seemed  perfectly 
natural  to  Mrs.  Thayer  that  Lucille  should  know  it; 
hence,  beyond  turning  very  pale  at  the  memory  of  her 
suffering,  she  did  not  manifest  any  special  emotion  on 
hearing  Lucille 's  words. 


136         PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

The  sibyl  continued  speaking  as  she  gazed,  first  at  Mrs. 
Thayer's  hand,  and  then  at  the  chart : 

"  This  man,  whom  you  so  wrongly  love,  does  not  return 
you  the  affection  of  a  true  husband ;  he  loves  you  only 
for  selfish,  sensual  purposes ;  he  will  fondle  you  as  a 
plaything  for  a  few  years,  and  then  he  will  cast  you  off  for 
a  younger  and  more  handsome  rival,  even  as  he  has 
already  put  away  his  first  wife  for  your  sake.  If  you  do 
not  give  him  up  now,  some  day  he  will  throw  you  aside 
or  trample  you  under  foot.  Think  you  he  will  fear  to  do 
in  the  future  what  he  has  done  in  the  past  ?  When  he 
wearies  of  you,  have  you  any  doubt  that  he  will  murder 
you  as  he  has  already  murdered  his  wife  ?" 

Lucille  had  spoken  in  a  rapid,  sibilant  whisper,  lean 
ing  forward  so  as  to  bring  her  eyes  directly  before  Mrs. 
Thayer's  face,  and  the  effect  was  electrical.  Mrs.  Thayer 
struggled  for  a  moment,  as  if  she  would  rise,  and  then  fell 
back  and  burst  into  tears.  This  was  a  fortunate  relief, 
since  she  would  have  fainted  if  she  had  not  obtained 
some  mode  of  escape  for  her  pent-up  feelings.  Seeing 
that  there  was  no  further  danger  of  overpowering  Mrs. 
Thayer,  as  long  as  she  was  able  to  cry,  Lucille  con 
tinued  : 

"Yes,  the  heartless  villain  murdered  his]  wife  by 
poisoning  her.  I  can  see  it  all  as  it  occurred;  it  is  a 
dreadful  scene,  yet  I  know  that  it  must  be  true — a  woman 
of  middle  age  is  lying  in  bed;  she  has  evidently  been 
very  handsome,  but  now  she  shows  signs  of  a  long  illness ; 
your  lover,  her  husband,  enters,  and  he  wishes  to  give 
her  some  medicine;  but  see,  she  motions  him  away} 
Chough  she  is  unable  to  speak ;  she  must  know  that  he  il 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER.      227 

going  to  poison  her ;  yet  she  cannot  help  herself,  and  the 
nurse  does  not  suspect  his  design.  Now  he  has  given 
her  the  poison,  and  she  is  writhing  in  an  agony  of  pain. 
He  professes  to  be  much  afflicted,  and,  oh,  heavens! 
with  the  treachery  of  Judas,  he  attempts  to  kiss  her! 
Now  it  is  all  over ;  with  one  last,  reproachful  look,  she 
has  passed  to  that  land  where  'the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest.'  She  is  dead,  and 
her  husband  is  her  murderer" 

"Oh!  for  God's  sake,  spare  me,  spare  me!"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Thayer,  between  her  sobs.  "  I  cannot  listen  to  the 
description  of  such  a  death-bed  scene  without  horror.  I 
know  I  have  been  very  guilty,  but  I  shall  try  to  make 
amends  in  the  future.  Have  pity  on  me,  I  beg  of  you, 
and  do  not  overwhelm  me  with  such  terrible  scenes." 

"You  must  hear  all,"  said  Lucille,  firmly.  " There  are 
two  more  acts  in  this  tragedy  to  which  you  must  listen ; 
the  first  is  a  weird  scene  in  a  church-yard  by  night,  and 
the  clear  starlight  only  half  reveals  the  actors ;  there  are 
three  men  engaged  in  digging  at  this  woman's  grave; 
yes,  even  in  death,  her  body  cannot  rest  in  peace.  Near 
by  lies  the  corpse  of  another  woman,  whose  cold,  white 
face  is  turned  up  mutely  to  the  silent  stars ;  now  the  men 
reach  the  coffin  and  try  to  drag  it  from  the  grave.  What 
is  their  object?  Ah!  I  see!  they  wish  to  substitute  one 
corpse  for  the  other,  so  that  the  poison  will  never  be  dis 
covered  in  case  of  an  inquest  upon  the  body  of  the  mur 
dered  woman.  Suddenly  three  other  men  rush  upon  the 
grave-diggers  before  they  have  been  able  to  pull  the 
coffin  from  the  grave;  a  chase  ensues,  and  pistol-shots  art 
fired;  but  finally  the  resurrectionist!  eicape,  though  they 


228          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

have  been  foiled  in  their  purpose.  The  last  scene  is  the 
inquest :  the  coffin  is  brought  in,  but  the  murderer  dare 
not  look  upon  the  face  of  his  victim ;  a  sham  investiga 
tion  is  held,  and  he  is  cleared  by  the  verdict  of  the  jury; 
but  other  watchful  eyes  have  been  regarding  the  proceed 
ings  ;  keen  detectives  have  been  at  work,  and  they  now 
step  in,  unknown  to  the  public,  and  take  quiet  possession 
of  the  corpse ;  the  stomach  is  removed  for  analysis,  and 
a  chemist  of  great  reputation  takes  charge  of  it ;  poison 
has  been  found ;  positive  proof  of  your  lover's  guilt  have 
been  obtained,  and  he  will  suffer  the  penalty  of  his  crime. 
You  also  are  in  danger,  but  if  you  tell  the  truth,  you  will 
be  saved." 

As  Lucille  impetuously  placed  before  Mrs.  Thayer  the 
occurrences  which  my  investigations  had  disclosed,  it 
seemed  to  the  latter  as  if  she  were  the  victim  of  a  horri 
ble  nightmare.  She  felt  that  she  was  surrounded  by 
unseen  foes,  who  were  gradually  tightening  the  toils  in 
which  she  and  Pattmore  had  become  entangled.  She 
was  neither  brave  nor  self-sacrificing;  she  had  a  sensitive 
dread  of  exposure,  trial,  and  punishment,  which  was 
aggravated  by  a  knowledge  of  guilt  and  an  uncertainty 
as  to  the  extent  to  which  she  had  become  legally  liable; 
also,  she  had  none  of  the  spirit  of  devoted  affection  which 
sometimes  prompts  a  woman  to  bear  the  greatest  hard 
ships  for  the  sake  of  the  man  she  loves ;  hence,  she  was 
ready  to  do  anything  to  save  herself,  even  at  the  expense 
of  Pattmore's  life.  As  Lucille  concluded  her  terrible 
recital,  Mrs.  Thayer  shrieked  in  an  agony  of  remorse  and 
fear: 

"  Oh,  have  mercy  on  me !     I  am  lost !  I  am  lost !    TeU 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     229 

me  what  I  can  do  to  escape  punishment ;  I  will  obey  you 
wholly — I  will  do  anything  you  tell  me.  Oh,  save  me, 
save  me  !  I  know  you  can  if  you  will." 

It  was  some  time  before  Lucille  could  restore  her  to  a 
quiet  state  of  mind,  but  at  length  her  sobs  ceased  and 
Lucille  continued  : 

"  The  worst  is  now  past,  and  if  you  will  return  to  your 
brother  and  confess  all,  he  will  forgive  you.  When  you 
are  called  upon  to  tell  what  you  know  about  this  wicked 
man,  you  must  do  so  without  reserve.  You  will  never 
see  him  again  except  in  prison.  If  you  do  as  your 
brother  wishes,  you  will  regain  your  light  heart  and  sweet 
disposition ;  your  real  husband  will  come  back  to  you, 
and  your  future  will  be  one  of  happiness." 

Mrs.  Thayer  sat  motionless,  with  her  face  buried  in  her 
shawl ;  occasionally  a  long,  choking  sob  would  make  her 
whole  frame  quiver,  but  otherwise  she  gave  hardly  a  sign 
of  life. 

"  Let  me  see  your  face,"  commanded  Lucille. 

As  Mrs.  Thayer  slowly  raised  her  tear-stained  counte 
nance,  Lucille  gazed  intently  into  her  eyes,  and  again 
examined  the  lines  of  her  hand;  then  she  went  on 
speaking : 

"  There  is  another  man  near  you,  whose  presence  you 
do  not  suspect ;  neither  have  you  ever  seen  him ;  but 
he  is  watching  you  all  the  time.  You  will  soon  meet 
him,  for  he  wishes  to  talk  with  you.  He  is  only  of 
medium  height,  but  he  is  very  well  built  and  powerful ; 
he  has  a  full  face,  ruddy  complexion,  brown  hair,  and  gray 
eyes ;  he  wears  full  whiskers  all  around  his  face,  and  his 
expression  is  kindly  but  resolute.  He  is  a  very  deter- 


230          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

mined  man,  and  when  he  tries  to  do  anything  he  never 
gives  up  until  he  has  accomplished  his  object.  He  has 
great  power,  and  if  you  follow  his  counsel  he  can  save 
you  from  harm ;  but  you  must  trust  him  fully  and  tell 
him  the  whole  truth,  for  he  can  instantly  detect  any 
falsehood  or  evasion,  and  he  will  be  very  dangerous  to 
you  if  you  try  to  deceive  him.  This  is  all  I  have  to  tell 
you  at  present,  my  child  ;  I  wish  you  well,  but  I  cannot 
devote  more  time  to  you.  I  hope  you  will  give  heed  to 
what  I  have  told  you,  and  that  you  will  decide  to  follow 
the  right  path.  There  are  many  now  awaiting  an  audi 
ence  with  me,  and  I  must  hasten  to  admit  them,  since  I 
cannot  tarry  long  in  one  city.  I  have  been  here  now 
some  time,  and  I  must  soon  journey  on ;  the  waste  places 
of  the  far  West  call  to  me — yea,  even  the  deserts  of  the 
barren  hills.  I  must  plunge  into  solitude  for  a  time,  to 
commune  with  Nature." 

Then,  raising  her  arms,  Lucille  placed  both  hands 
lightly  on  Mrs.  Thayer's  head  and  said,  solemnly : 

"May  the  Spirit  of  Eternal  Truth  go  with  thee,  my 
child,  to  guide  thee  forevermore!  Farewell." 

When  Mrs.  Thayer  looked  up,  after  a  few  minutes  of 
silence,  Lucille  had  disappeared,  having  slipped  into  the 
room  where  I  and  my  stenographer  were  listening.  See 
ing  that  the  fortune-teller  had  dismissed  her,  Mrs.  Thayer 
drew  down  her  heavy  veil  and  left  the  room.  One  of  my 
men  was  stationed  at  the  front  door  to  watch  her  move 
ments,  so  that  when  I  joined  him,  after  a  few  minutes 
hurried  talk  with  Lucille,  he  pointed  out  to  me  the  direc 
tion  she  had  taken.  I  hastened  down  the  street  until  I 
caught  sight  of  her ;  then,  seeing  that  she  was  on  her  way 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER. '    281 

back  to  her  boarding-house,  I  decided  not  to  speak  to 
her  just  then.  The  street  was  quite  crowded,  and  I  pre 
ferred  not  to  risk  having  a  scene  in  the  presence  of  so 
many  spectators.  Therefore  I  walked  at  a  safe  distance 
behind  her  until  she  was  across  the  bridge ;  but,  on 
reaching  a  quiet  neighborhood,  I  overtook  her  and  said: 

"Mrs.  Thayer,  I  believe?" 

It  must  be  remembered  that  she  had  no  acquaintances 
in  Chicago  except  her  fellow-boarders ;  hence  my  recog 
nition  of  her  would  have  startled  her,  even  had  she  never 
been  told  to  expect  me.  But,  as  it  was,  my  appearance 
gave  her  a  great  shock,  since  she  was  at  that  moment  re 
volving  in  her  mind  the  information  given  her  by  Lucille. 
Therefore,  when  she  was  addressed  by  a  stranger,  whom 
she  at  once  recognized  as  the  man  about  whom  Lucille 
had  given  her  a  forewarning,  she  was  struck  almost 
speechless  with  fear.  She  could  only  ejaculate : 

;'Oh !  God  help  me !  that  man  has  come !" 

I  saw  she  was  nearly  ready  to  faint,  so  I  took  her  arm 
and  said : 

"  Mrs.  Thayer,  I  wish  you  to  accompany  me  to  my 
office." 

She  was  so  weak  that  I  supported  her  a  short  distance 
until  one  of  my  men,  who  had  remained  within  call,  could 
bring  a  hack.  I  then  helped  Mrs.  Thayer  into  the  car 
riage  and  told  the  driver  to  proceed  at  once  to  my  office- 
Mrs.  Thayer  said  nothing,  and  showed  no  objection  to 
my  wishes ;  but  she  was  greatly  alarmed,  and  she  could 
not  take  her  eyes  off  my  face.  She  had  a  sort  of  helpless, 
questioning  look,  which  I  was  glad  to  see,  since  it  was 
evidence  that  she  was  now  wholly  under  my  control. 


232          PINKERTOfTS  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

When  the  carriage  stopped,  I  assisted  her  to  walk  up 
stairs  into  my  private  office,  where  my  stenographer  had 
already  taken  a  position  to  hear  without  being  seen.  I 
gave  her  a  comfortable  chair,  and  handed  her  a  glass  of 
water,  for  I  saw  that  she  was  very  faint.  As  soon  as  her 
color  began  to  show  that  she  had  revived  I  said  : 

"  Mrs.  Thayer,  you  perceive  that  I  am  well  acquainted 
with  you.  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  in  trouble,  and  I  wish 
to  be  your  friend,  if  you  will  allow  me  to  be  so ;  all  I  ask 
is  that  you  tell  me  the  whole  truth  about  all  your  diffi 
culties." 

"Are  you  really  my  friend?"  she  asked,  in  a  trembling 
voice ;  "  can  I  rely  upon  what  you  say,  and  be  sure  that 
you  will  not  take  advantage  of  me  ?  Oh,  sir,  my  heart 
seems  ready  to  break,  and  I  know  not  what  to  think.  I 
am  a  poor,  weak  woman,  completely  in  your  power." 

"  You  need  have  no  fear  of  me,"  I  replied,  "  I  know 
nearly  everything  relative  to  your  troubles,  but  I  wish 
you  to  tell  me  all  the  facts ;  then  I  shall  know  precisely 
what  to  do  to  help  you.  It  is  possible  to  raise  a  criminal 
charge  against  you,  but  it  is  my  desire  to  prevent  that ; 
therefore,  you  must  tell  me  everything,  without  any  reser 
vation  whatever." 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  she  asked,  after  a  few  moments  of 
thought.  "  You  have  not  told  me  your  name,  yet  I  know 
you ;  I  have  heard  of  you  before,  and  I  know  it  will  be 
useless  for  me  to  try  to  hide  anything  from  you,  but  I 
would  like  to  know  your  name." 

"My  name  is  Pinkerton,"  I  answered,  "but  I  cannot 
tell  you  how  I  know  you,  nor  why  I  take  an  interest  in 
your  affairs.  I  wish  you  to  give  me  a  full  account  of  your 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     233 

relations  with  Pattmore  ever  since  your  first  acquaintance 
with  him." 

I  then  gave  her  a  glass  of  wine  to  strengthen  her,  and 
asked  her  to  proceed.  As  she  spoke  at  first  in  a  very  low 
voice,  I  professed  to  be  hard  of  hearing,  in  order  that  she 
should  speak  loud  enough  for  my  stenographer  to  hear 
also. 

She  first  referred  to  her  early  married  life,  when  she 
was  perfectly  happy  in  Henry's  love ;  then  she  said  that 
he  made  several  very  long  voyages,  and  when  he  came 
home  he  remained  only  a  few  days  each  time.  During 
one  of  these  voyages,  she  met  Pattmore  and  his  wife  in 
Brooklyn,  and  they  became  well  acquainted.  Afterward 
Pattmore  frequently  came  to  Brooklyn  alone,  and  he 
always  spent  much  of  his  time  in  her  society.  She  did 
not  realize  the  danger  of  his  intercourse  at  first ;  but, 
gradually,  he  began  to  make  love  to  her,  and,  finally,  he 
accomplished  her  ruin.  Thenceforward  she  was  wholly 
under  his  control,  especially  after  Henry's  desertion  of 
her.  He  brought  her  to  his  own  hotel  on  the  plea  that 
she  would  be  company  for  his  wife,  and  she  lived  as  his 
mistress,  in  fact,  though  not  outwardly,  until  her  brother 
came  to  take  her  away.  Her  brother  succeeded  in 
awakening  her  remorse,  and  she  determined  to  return  to 
Connecticut  with  him.  Pattmore,  however,  opposed  this 
action  very  strongly,  and  offered  to  marry  her  immedi 
ately,  saying  that  his  wife  was  sure  to  die  soon  from  quick 
consumption,  since  all  her  family  had  died  of  that  disease 
at  about  her  age.  They  were  therefore  secretly  married, 
and  she  then  wrote  to  her  brother  that  she  should  not 
return  to  Connecticut.  When  she  discovered  that  she 


234          PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

was  enceinte  she  was  much  alarmed,  and  she  again  decided 
to  return  to  her  brother  after  the  abortion  had  been  per 
formed,  but  Pattmore  had  a  strong  control  over  her  still. 
As  soon  as  she  was  able  to  go  out,  after  her  illness,  Patt 
more  wrote  to  her  to  get  a  certain  prescription  put  up  by 
a  druggist.  She  did  so,  and  then  sent  the  powders  to 
him.  In  a  short  time  Pattmore  came  to  Chicago  and  told 
her  that  he  had  arranged  to  poison  his  wife.  She  was 
very  much  shocked  at  first,  but  he  told  her  that  Mrs. 
Pattmore  could  only  live  about  a  year  anyhow,  and  that 
she  would  suffer  a  great  deal  during  her  rapid  decline ; 
hence  he  argued  that  there  could  be  no  harm  in  hasten 
ing  her  death  to  save  her  from  many  weeks  of  pain.  He 
said  that  he  had  already  commenced  to  poison  her,  using 
small  doses,  so  as  to  break  down  her  system  gradually. 
While  he  was  there  Captain  Sumner  came  back  from  the 
East,  and  he  was  very  angry  at  Mrs.  Thayer  for  permit 
ting  Pattmore  to  visit  her.  Then  Pattmore  told  her  to 
poison  her  brother  in  order  that  she  might  inherit  his 
property.  This  proposition  perfectly  horrified  her,  as 
she  really  loved  her  brother ;  but  Pattmore  said  that  they 
never  could  live  together  as  long  as  Captain  Sumner  was 
alive,  and  that  he  was  afraid  the  Captain  would  some  day 
get  into  a  passion  and  kill  them  both.  In  this  way  he 
worked  on  her  feelings  until  she  agreed  to  give  her  brother 
some  of  the  powder  which  she  had  sent  to  Greenville. 
Accordingly  she  made  three  attempts  to  poison  her 
brother,  but  fortunately  she  was  not  successful.  Pattmore 
then  returned  to  Greenville,  and  soon  afterward  his  wife 
died.  He  had  visited  her  only  once  since  that  time,  but 
they  corresponded  regularly.  He  war  very  euarded  in  his 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.     235 

letters  as  to  what  he  said  about  his  wife's  death,  bat  she 
knew  that  he  had  carried  out  his  plan,  because  he  had 
told  her  so  distinctly  when  he  last  saw  her.  He  said 
that  he  had  given  her  small  doses  every  day  until  she 
died ;  but  the  doctor  believed  that  she  had  died  of  dys 
entery,  so  that  he  was  all  safe. 

When  she  had  finished,  I  said : 

"Well,  Mrs.  Thayer,  I  suppose  you  are  aware  that  you 
are  not  legally  Pattmore's  wife?" 

"Yes,  I  am,"  she  said,  with  a  sort  of  blind  persistency; 
"  his  first  wife  is  dead,  and  as  I  was  legally  married  to 
him  I  am  now  his  wife." 

"  No,  Mrs.  Thayer,"  I  replied,  "  I  will  show  you  that 
your  pretended  marriage  was  no  marriage  at  all ;  when  it 
took  place  Pattmore's  wife  was  alive,  and  he  could  not 
contract  a  second  legal  marriage;  again,  you  have  no 
evidence  that  your  husband  is  dead,  and  it  is  therefore 
probable  that  you  could  not  marry  again  legally.  Hence, 
as  he  certainly  committed  bigamy,  and  as  you  probably 
have  done  the  same,  there  could  be  no  legal  marriage 
between  you." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  she  acknowledged,  sadly,  "I 
know  you  are  right,  but  still  I  cling  to  that  belief.  If  I 
could  be  sure  that  Henry  was  alive,  I  should  not  regard 
Pattmore  as  my  husband ;  but,  as  his  wife  is  dead,  and 
Henry  is  also  dead  to  me,  I  shall  think  that  I  am  Patt- 
more'r  wife." 

"Well,  you  can  have  your  doubts  set  at  rest  very  soon," 
said  I.  "for  I  have  received  letters  from  England  saying 
that  Henry  is  on  his  return  from  a  whaling  voyage  in  the 
South  Sea." 


236         PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

"  Is  that  so  ?"  gasped  Mrs.  Thayer.  "  Well,  I  was  told 
that,  but  I  could  hardly  believe  it.  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ? 
It  was  all  my  fault  that  Henry  left  me ;  he  loved  me 
truly,  and  I  once  loved  him.  Oh,  if  he  would  only  forgive 
me,  and  love  me,  I  might  hope  to  be  happy  again ;  but  I 
fear  he  can  never  pardon  the  wrongs  I  have  done  him." 

"  Do  not  despair,  Mrs.  Thayer,"  I  said ;  "  Henry  may 
be  willing  to  forgive  and  forget  if  you  show  yourself 
ready  to  return  his  affection.  However,  the  first  busi 
ness  is  to  circumvent  Pattmore,  and  you  must  lend  your 
assistance." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  me  ?"  she  asked,  in  a 
timid  voice. 

"I  shall  let  you  go  home,"  I  replied ;  "but  I  shall  keep 
a  strict  watch  upon  your  actions,  and  if  you  show  a  spirit 
of  true  repentance,  I  will  shield  you  from  the  penalties 
of  your  crimes.  You  will  be  called  upon  to  testify  in 
court  against  Pattmore,  and  then  your  brother  will  take 
you  to  his  farm  in  Connecticut.  You  can  go  now,  but 
your  brother  must  come  here  and  become  responsible  for 
your  appearance  when  wanted.  One  thing  more,  Mrs. 
Thayer;  you  are  receiving  letters  from  Pattmore  every 
day ;  now,  I  wish  you  to  send  me  all  his  letters  without 
opening  or  answering  them.  If  you  attempt  to  deceive 
me  in  anything  I  shall  be  obliged  to  put  you  in  prison." 

"Oh,  no,  no!"  she  said,  eagerly;  "you  can  trust  me,  I 
assure  you,  for  I  know  that  I  am  in  your  power ;  a  fortune 
teller  told  me  so." 

"Well,  well,  I  don't  care  anything  about  fortune 
tellers — I  never  saw  one  that  wasn't  a  humbug — but  you 
may  depend  upon  it  that  I  cannot  be  deceived,  and  I  will 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      287 

not  be  trifled  with.  You  can  go  home  now  and  tell  your 
brother  to  come  over  here  to  become  your  security." 

So  saying,  I  called  a  carriage  and  sent  her  home  in 
charge  of  one  of  my  men.  On  returning  to  my  office,  I 
found  Mrs.  Warne  awaiting  me.  I  complimented  her 
very  highly  on  her  success,  and  told  her  that  she  need 
not  continue  the  business  of  fortune-telling  more  than  a 
day  or  two  longer.  I  told  her  to  be  careful  not  to  receive 
Mrs.  Thayer  again,  however,  but  to  instruct  the  usher  to 
tell  her  that  Madam  Lucille  never  received  any  lady  a 
second  time  after  having  completed  her  horoscope. 

In  about  half  an  hour  Captain  Sumner  came  in.  I  told 
him  that  I  was  now  master  of  the  situation,  and  that  I 
would  make  a  decided  move  in  a  day  or  two. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Captain,  "  Annie  has  told  me  a  great 
deal,  and  she  says  that  I  must  become  responsible  for 
her,  and  guarantee  that  she  shall  not  leave  town.  How 
have  you  accomplished  all  this  ?  I  cannot  understand  it." 

"Some  day  perhaps  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it,"  I 
replied,  "  but  I  cannot  do  so  just  now.  I  wish  you  to 
bring  your  sister  here  to-morrow  morning ;  I  will  prepare 
an  affidavit  for  her  to  sign,  and  then  we  shall  soon  have 
Pattmore  under  arrest." 

"Well,  if  you  will  only  have  him  punished  as  he 
deserves,"  said  the  Captain,  "  I  shall  consider  no  reward 
too  great  for  you.  He  is  a  snake  in  the  grass,  who  has 
ruined  my  sister,  and  covered  our  family  with  shame. 
Now  I  want  revenge." 

"I  shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  have  him  punished,"  I 
said ;  "  and  I  am  very  well  pleased  to  see  the  end  so  near. 


288  PINKERTON'S  DETECTIVE  STORIES. 

By  the  way,  you  might  write  to  Mr.  Chapman  to  inform 
him  of  our  success." 

"I  will,  indeed,"  said  the  Captain,  enthusiastically; 
"if  it  had  not  been  for  him,  I  never  should  have  thought 
of  coming  to  you,  Mr.  Pinkerton." 

"  Well,  good-day,  Captain ;  come  here  with  Mrs.  Thayer 
about  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morning." 

I  immediately  placed  the  facts  before  my  lawyer,  and 
requested  him  to  prepare  an  affidavit  for  Mrs.  Thayer  to 
make  relative  to  Pattmore's  guilt.  The  next  morning  it 
was  ready,  and  Mrs.  Thayer  swore  to  the  facts  as  therein 
set  forth.  I  then  told  the  Captain  to  remain  in  Chicago 
until  I  should  send  for  him,  and  that  evening  I  took  the 
train  for  Greenville. 

On  my  arrival  there  I  called  on  Dr.  Stuart  and  learned 
that  his  analysis  had  been  finished  that  day.  He  had 
found  enough  poison  in  Mrs.  Pattmore's  bowels  to  make 
it  certain  that  she  had  died  from  that  cause,  and  not 
from  natural  disease.  I  then  made  an  affidavit,  charging 
Pattmore  with  murder,  and  I  also  filed  Mrs.  Thayer's 
affidavit  in  the  court.  Everything  was  done  quietly,  so 
that  Pattmore  was  arrested  before  any  one  except  the 
sheriff  and  the  judge  knew  that  a  warrant  had  been 
issued.  The  arrest  created  immense  excitement ;  a  bitter 
political  campaign  was  in  progress,  and  it  was  charged, 
as  before,  that  the  arrest  was  made  for  political  effect. 
The  grand  jury  was  in  session,  however,  and  I  sent  for 
Captain  Sumner  and  Mrs.  Thayer  at  once.  The  testi 
mony  of  Mrs.  Thayer,  the  nurse,  and  the  grave-diggers, 
made  a  pretty  strong  case;  but  when  I  clinched  the 


THE  MURDERER  AND  FOR  TUNE  TELLER.      339 

whole  matter  with  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Stuart,  there  was 
no  longer  any  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  jury  as  to 
Pattmore's  guilt.  He  was  immediately  indicted  for 
murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  was  consigned  to  prison 
to  await  trial. 

The  trial  took  place  very  soon  afterward,  and  the 
lawyers  for  the  defense  made  a  very  strong  fight  to  clear 
their  client.  They  were  successful  to  the  extent  of  saving 
him  from  execution,  but  he  was  sentenced  to  a  term  of  ten 
years  in  the  penitentiary. 


SOME  years  after  Pattmore  was  sentenced,  I  was 
walking  down  Broadway,  New  York,  when  I  hap 
pened  to  meet  Captain  Sumner.  Our  greetings  were 
very  cordial,  and  I  invited  him  to  visit  me  at  my  New 
York  office. 

"I  shall  be  very  glad,  indeed,  to  come,"  he  said;  "I 
often  think  of  you,  and  I  can  never  forget  how  much  I 
am  indebted  to  you.  By  the  way,  I  should  like  to  bring 
a  friend  with  me." 

"Do  so,  by  all  means,"  I  replied;  "I  shall  always  be 
glad  to  see  any  of  your  friends.  But  how  is  Mrs.  Thayer  ? 
Do  you  intend  to  bring  her  to  see  me  ?" 

"N«;  she  is  not  in  this  country  now,"  he  answered, 
with  a  pleasant  smile ;  "  but  she  was  in  good  health  when 
I  last  heard  from  her,  and  was  verv  happy,  indeed. 
Henry  i.iiav*-i  remnica  to  the  United  States  about  ft 
month  aftei  we  had  settled  down  on  my  farm,  and  he 
immediately  came  to  see  me.  I  need  not  tell  you  how 
delighted  he  was  to  find  Annie  waiting  for  him.  Their 
old  love  for  each  oth«r  returned  with  redoubled  power 


840       THE  MURDERER  AND  FORTUNE  TELLER. 

and  now  nothing  could  separate  them.  When  Annie 
Vgan  to  speak  of  her  past  follies  and  errors,  Henry 
stopped  her  instantly:  'No,  Annie,'  he  said,  'let  the 
dead  bury  the  dead  —  we  will  live  for  the  future.  Our 
past  shall  be  forgotten  except  such  memories  as  are 
pleasant.'  They  have  resided  for  several  years  in  China, 
where  Henry  is  a  partner  in  a  wealthy  firm.  They  have 
two  lovely  children,  and  life  runs  very  smoothly  and 
pleasantly  for  them.  I  know  that  this  great  change  in 
her  life  was  largely  due  to  you,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  and  I  shall 
never  cease  to  be  grateful  for  your  exertions  to  save  her 
from  misery.  I  owe  you  still  another  debt,  which  I  will 
tell  you  about  to-morrow,  when  I  bring  my  friend  to  see 
you." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  know  that  Mrs.  Thayer  is  so  happy," 
I  said  ;  "  give  my  regards  to  her  when  you  write.  I  must 
hurry  on  now,  Captain,  as  I  have  an  important  engage 
ment;  so  good-bye.  Bring  your  friend  any  lime  to 
morrow  afternoon." 

So  saying,  I  shook  his  hand  and  passed  on.  The  next 
day  he  came  sailing  in,  with  a  fine  looking  lady  of  middle 
age  leaning  contentedly  on  his  arm. 

"Mr.  Pinkerton,"  said  the  Captain,  with  a  very  com 
placent  expression,  "I'm  spliced.  Allow  me  to  intro 
duce  Mrs.  Sumner — lately  Mrs.  Agnew." 

THE   END. 


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